Shepherd's Bush Councillor Shortlisted to Run as MP
Rowan Ree could contest the Vale of Glamorgan seat
Cllr Rowan Ree
December 19, 2022
A Shepherd’s Bush councillor has been shortlisted to be the Labour party’s prospective candidate for a constituency in Wales.
Rowan Ree, who has represented Coningham ward which covers an area between Goldhawk Road and Uxbridge Road since 2018, could contest the Vale of Glamorgan seat.
The constituency is regarded as a bellwether seat which consistently selects an MP from the party that wins the election. Due to the current state of the polls, the Labour candidate would currently be odds on to win and there would need to be a major swing back to the Conservatives for that to change before next General Election, which is widely anticipated to take place in 2024. It has been held by Alun Cairns for the Conservatives for the last 12 years.
Selection would represent a return to his roots for Cllr Ree who grew up in the area and joined the local Labour Party at 16. After moving to London, he worked for the Bank of England on economic policy, and currently has cabinet responsibility for finance at Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
He said on Twitter, “Delighted to be shortlisted to be @UKLabour's candidate in the Vale of Glamorgan.
“I have the deep local roots, economic expertise & campaign experience needed to win here again.”
The selection process has caused some controversy within the Labour party with some on the left saying the leadership within Welsh Labour has taken over the process to impose a candidate on Twitter. Belinda Loveluck-Edwards was endorsed by Jeremy Corbyn and contested the seat at the last election in 2019 has also been shortlisted.
Cllr Ree said, “Alun Cairns has held this seat for 12 years & increased his majority in 2019. We must do things differently to win.
“I chaired a large CLP where we used innovative campaign techniques to beat the Tories against the odds. I want to bring these to the Vale so we can win here again.”
His selection was endorsed by Hammersmith MP, Andy Slaughter, who Tweeted, “@RowanRee would be a fantastic MP for Vale of Glamorgan. As @HammersmithLab CLP chair, a Shepherds Bush Councillor and @LBHF Cabinet Member he has worked non-stop for @UKLabour and our community. He would be the perfect choice of candidate for his home constituency.”
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