Urgent talks are under way inside Labour in the West Midlands after veteran MP Steve McCabe quit suddenly and Northfield hopeful Alex Aitken announced he was abandoning his bid to take the seat back, as well as quitting as a city councillor, citing personal reasons.
The double announcement leaves the party now scouting around for candidates to stand in the prime seats, with just a short window to find the right people to hold on to Selly Oak and seize back Northfield, its key local target after it was narrowly lost to Conservative Gary Sambrook in 2019. The deadline for nominations to stand in the General Election is 4pm on June 7.
McCabe, 68, said he had decided to step down after deliberating over his future. He has served the residents of Selly Oak for 27 years.
READ MORE: Selly Oak MP steps down after 27 years in 'difficult decision' after 'much deliberation'
With a majority of 12,414, his seat should have been a straightforward Labour hold given the party's national impetus, but he was facing a significant challenge over the crisis in Gaza. In his resignation statement he said : "I've made the difficult decision to stand down as the member of parliament forBirminghamSelly Oakand make way for someone new. It has been a privilege to serve for the constituencies ofHall Greenand then Selly Oak over the past 27 years.
"I've always tried to be a hardworking and straight-talking constituency MP. This has been a difficult decision, but I've often said I hoped I'd know when to go. I am convinced that Keir Starmer is the man who will deliver that change. He will lead a government which puts the public interest first and deliver the change the country needs."
McCabe, chairman of Labour's Friends of Israel group, had endured a torrid time in recent months, personally targeted by pro-Palestine supporters who wanted him to more forcibly condemn the actions of Israel in Gaza. He has also been criticised by active travel proponents who felt he was not sufficiently backing calls for measures that prioritise pedestrians, cyclists and buses over cars.
He was facing a challenge this election from the former head of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Kamel Hawwash, who is a Professor in the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Birmingham. Professor Hawwash, who is a British Palestinian, had quit the Labour Party in October after Sir Keir Starmer appeared to back Israel withholding food and water from civilians in the Gaza Strip. He accused the Labour leader of having “blind support for Israel whatever it does” and “throwing Palestinians under a bus”.
McCabe is not alone in facing a pro-Palestine challenge - independents with Gaza at the top of their agenda are also taking on sitting Labour MPs Jess Phillips in Yardley, Tahir Ali in Hall Green and Shabana Mahmood in Ladywood, with more expected to declare in the next few days.
Over in Northfield, deemed a major target seat for Labour, hopeful Alex Aitken, a city councillor, announced last night he was abandoning his bid. He also took to X, formerly Twitter, to share his decision, saying it was "with deep regret" that he was pulling out. "I’m deeply grateful for the support and trust that local members put in me, and I’m gutted to not have been able to see it through.
"But it is right to do this before nominations close so that Northfield can elect a Labour MP. I’ll continue to stand up for local people and fight for the Labour Government our country deserves." He said 'personal challenges' had arisen that made it impossible for him to pursue his MP ambition at this time. He also revealed he was standing down as a councillor "to focus on my own wellbeing and ensure residents have a Councillor who is able to commit 100% to them."
As recently as the Bank Holiday weekend Aitken was out with supporters lobbying for votes, including MP Shabana Mahmood. Among those who had fought for the Northfield candidacy last year was Tom McNeil, former assistant police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands and highly regarded in Labour circles. He may be among those now considered for either seat.
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Labour had already opened applications for a string of safe seats across the country after seven MPs announced last-minute retirements. Key allies of Keir Starmer were expected to be lined up to take their places.
Also standing down from the Labour ranks are John Spellar, who has been MP for Warley since 1992, and Harriet Harman, retiring after a distinguished career in the Commons. Her husband Jack Dromey served Birmingham Erdington for 12 years until his untimely death. Also leaving are Margaret Beckett, former shadow minister Barbara Keeley and the chair of the parliamentary Labour party, John Cryer, Virendra Sharma and Kevin Brennan. Julie Elliott, the MP for Sunderland Central, and Lyn Brown, the MP for West Ham in London, joined the ranks of those retiring yesterday (Tuesday). Senior Labour sources said they anticipated there could be several more departures announced yet.
There has also been a changing of the guard among the Conservatives with 77 MPs quitting (as of 28th May) including former prime minister Theresa May, former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab and current levelling-up secretary Michael Gove.
