Labour forced to advertise for new MPs on TWITTER as party faces meltdown… and desperate Jeremy Corbyn takes his recruitment drive to primary school
THE LABOUR Party are advertising for candidates to stand in the General Election on Twitter.
Jeremy Corbyn's party have posted out a message to their 385,000 followers on the social media site, urging them to get their applications in soon.
All sitting Labour MPs who want to re-stand will be automatically re-selected - but a string have decided to stand down in the June 8 snap poll.
Former Shadow Home Secretary Alan Johnson joined Shadow Scottish Secretary Dave Anderson and former Home Secretary Andy Burnham in quitting.
Twelve in total will be standing down.
They also need to fill in a form to send to Labour chiefs - answering questions like:
- What do we need to do to win this election?
- What makes you a great campaigner?
- Give some examples of your communication skills
Twitter users didn't react positively to the news - with many of them taking to mock the party's choice of advertising.
Labour's National Executive Committee will review the applications, create a longlist, conduct interviews and will then select the candidate for any MPs who are retiring.
In seats where there is no Labour MP stepping down, a panel of NEC members and regional boards will pick them.
Anyone wishing to stand in Scotland needs to get their application in by 5pm tonight, in England by Sunday at noon, and in Wales by 5pm on Monday.
To be eligible for the seat, they have to have been a member of the Labour Party for 12 consecutive months - and must not be in arrears or suspended from the party.
They can apply for more than one seat if they wish.
The Tories have also changed their normal selection procedures in light of the snap poll.
All the 330 MPs will be re-selected, but in target seats local party members will chose from a shortlist of three candidates drawn up by the party's central office.
In non-target seats, local and national party officials will chose the candidates directly.
ELECTION 2017 LATEST:
- Earlier today Mr Corbyn pulled some bizarre facial expressions while he visited a school in Bristol. Asked if he had decided what he will do in the event of defeat, the Labour leader replied: “No decisions at all, what an absurd question. We’re 72 hours into the election.”
- But Chancellor Philip Hammond hinted there could be tax rises ahead - as he said David Cameron's promises not to raise income tax or VAT were "constraining" him
- Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie got himself into a fight with a ram at a farm
- Theresa May ignored calls from her own MPs and pledged to carry on spending 0.7% of GDP on foreign aid
- And campaigners are stumping up cash to get Lib Dem boss Tim Farron to run against a FISH FINGER