A LANCASHIRE Euro MP today accused Labour leaders of ignoring local party members.

Michael Hindley, MEP for South Lancashire, said they were forcing centrally-selected candidates on voters at the next round of European elections.

His attack on New Labour came as the party began its annual conference in Blackpool.

Mr Hindley said: "The list of candidates agreed by the party leaders this week is a sad reflection of the unaccountability of New Labour.

"A year ago I and others warned that the way which New Labour was introducing proportional representation was undemocratic and would lead to centralised control. I was threatened with suspension from the party, but now the list confirms my worst fears.

"The list makes a mockery of the ordinary members' selection choices. Some sitting MEPs, who got over 90 per cent endorsement from their local members, have been dropped.

"Other candidates have been imposed at the top of regional lists despite the fact that they did not contest democratic elections based on the 'one member, one vote' system.

"The North West list contains no Lancashire-based candidate with any reasonable chance of winning, and is headed by a woman who for the last four years has sat for the East Midlands.

"No single party branch, constituency or Euro-constituency party in the North West, South West or Yorkshire will be consulted about their regional list.

"In the North West we could well end up with no locally based Labour MEPs on the West coast side from Wigan to Glasgow.

"This will ensure that the European Parliament is even more remote than ever, and it will be very hard to get the ordinary Labour members enthusiastic about a list in which they have had so little say."

Mr Hindley has already announced his intention not to stand at next year's European Parliament elections.

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