Attack on postponement of Worthing Labour’s campaign launch due to coronavirus ‘stupid and vindictive’

The political party had been due to hold the event at the Dome on Tuesday (March 17), but cancelled it due to the spread of the coronavirus.

However a number of Tory councillors took to Twitter to suggest alternative reasons for the postponement, ranging from poor expected attendance to disagreements over the proposed manifesto.

Edward Crouch, executive member for digital and environmental services, wrote: “Despite Public Health England advice not suggesting such event cancellations are necessary. Perhaps 14 tickets claimed of 200 has something to do with the ‘postponement’.”

After a comment from a member of the public, Worthing Borough Council leader Dan Humphreys said: “Worthing Labour have canned their ‘launch’ because even their own candidates refused to attend and agree to the manifesto.

“By using covid-19 as an excuse, despite all expert advice, it’s you who are exploiting the crisis.”

Labour group leader Beccy Cooper’s appearance on the BBC as a Public Health consultant was also referenced.

Kevin Jenkins, executive member for regeneration, said: “And this from a NHS consultant who put herself up on television as a reassured expert to follow the science and experts. Hhm, sounds like apathy and indecision again in their ranks.”

The Government has since cancelled May’s elections, which are now due to be held in 2021.

In response, Labour councillor Jim Deen said they were ‘angry and disgusted by the concerted attack’ and felt it was ‘outrageous’ that the leader and two leading cabinet members had made accusations about the motivation of their group and questioned the integrity of their group leader.

He added: “It’s disgraceful that the council leader should want to play party politics at a time like this when, as a town, and a country, we face the most challenging public health emergency for a generation or more.

“I want to make it absolutely clear that all members of the Labour group have been involved in the planning and writing of Labour’s campaign policy and, along with all our candidates that had been selected to contest seats in May, are all fully supportive of the policies within it.

“All of them would have been at the launch, either speaking, or ready to answer questions from the audience.”

He described how the early decision to postpone was based on information Dr Cooper was able to provide.

Cllr Deen explained: “The way things have progressed, with the postponement of the local elections and the increasingly strict social isolation measures being introduced, our decision has been fully vindicated. The Tories now just look stupid and vindictive.”

He described Labour’s campaign policy as ‘fully ready to be rolled out for the postponed elections, adding: “It will be a transformative set of policies that will change the way politics - and council policy making - is done in Worthing.

“We are extremely disappointed that we won’t be able to put it before the electorate in the elections that would have happened on May 7.

“We’ve taken ten seats off the Tories over the last two years. We know we would have made sweeping gains again this May, but that inevitable clamour for change in Worthing is now just delayed for a year.

“And the Dome is ready to host the postponed event whenever we are able to run it. The management at the Dome completely understood why we would want to postpone it and are very happy to make facilities available for a future date.

“In the meantime, the Labour Group and party members in Worthing are throwing themselves into the vital job of helping individuals and communities in Worthing deal with the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.”