Labour's deputy leader candidates split over ethnic shortlists

Labour's six deputy leadership hopefuls highlighted the split in the party last night over the proposed ethnic minority shortlists for parliamentary candidates.

They needed to impress a 400-strong hustings crowd in Leicester made solely from black and Asian communities.

But the six - Harriet Harman, Peter Hain, Hazel Blears, Jon Cruddas, Hilary Benn and Alan Johnson - could not agree on whether to introduce shortlists comprising ethnic minority members.

The number of MPs from black and Asian communities was "a scandal", said Johnson, but candidate lists made solely from those groups would be "discrimination".

"We have only 14 MPs and not a single Asian woman anywhere in the House of Commons - that needs to change," he said. "But I'm not totally convinced by BME shortlists.

"But what you can do is that if a community has 25% to 40% of people from ethnic minority backgrounds we ensure that the shortlist for candidates reflects that."

Benn was "yet to be persuaded" that the proposal was the answer to a lack of representation in the House of Commons.

Harriet Harman did not confirm whether she backed the shortlists or not, despite saying there needed to be four times as many MPs from black and ethnic minority communities.

The remaining trio, however, said they backed the shortlists.

"I think what we have to do is take practical action," said Blears. "The NEC could draw up a code of conduct to move towards black and ethnic minority shortlists."

Peter Hain said: "We have got to get more candidates from ethnic minorities selected. That does, I believe, involve positive action and all-black and ethnic minority shortlists."

Cruddas told the activists at the city's Peepul Centre: "There's a very good case that we should move to black and ethnic minority shortlists in certain cases and I think that's inevitable."

Describing himself as "the warm-up act", Gordon Brown addressed the crowd before the deputy leadership candidates took to the stage.

With none of the six an outright favourite, the meetings could prove a vital factor in deciding who will succeed John Prescott.

Ordinary party members control a third of the vote in next month's election, with another third going to around three million union members and other affiliated bodies and the remainder to the party's MPs and MEPs.

The winner will become Labour deputy leader when Mr Prescott steps down on June 27, but incoming Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not necessarily appoint him or her Deputy Prime Minister.

Around a dozen hustings are taking place around the country ahead of the election.

Copyright Press Association 2007

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