Labour lose assembly majority as Law quits

Labour has lost its majority in the Welsh assembly after their Blaenau Gwent AM said he had quit the party.

 

Peter Law had threatened to stand as an independent parliamentary candidate before he was rushed into hospital for an emergency operation on a brain tumour last week.

 

Law, and many in the local constituency party, are angry at the imposition of an all-women shortlist to choose the party's parliamentary candidate.

 

They say it was simply a way of parachuting in "Blairite" Maggie Jones to the rock-solid Labour seat previously held by Nye Bevan and Michael Foot.

 

Now Law says he is feeling well, only a week after undergoing a six-hour operation, and that he may still stand in the seat.

 

Law says he would make an announcement about his position on Tuesday, when nominations close.

 

He also said he had been overwhelmed by the support he had received from the public during a two-hour walk on Saturday in his constituency, Labour's safest Welsh seat.

 

Majority

 

The fact that Law has left Labour means it no longer has a working majority in the assembly. Labour now holds 29 of the 60 seats.

 

Labour has defended women-only shortlists on the grounds that they are needed to redress the shortage of female MPs.

 

Reacting to the news that Law has said that he no longer considers himself a member of Labour, a Conservative spokesperson told the BBC: "This shows the strength of feeling about the Labour party's obsession with clinging onto power.

 

"They are willing to ignore strong local opinion and to turn to their back on someone like Peter Law who has given years of loyal service."

 

A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats said: "The Liberal Democrats wish him well in his recovery and it is a matter for Peter Law to decide whether to stand or not."

 

Both Labour and Plaid Cymru declined to comment.