Zarah Sultana reselected as the Coventry South MP

Zarah Sultana has won 90% of the vote to be reselected as Labour MP for Coventry South.

Sultana was elected as MP for Coventry South in 2019, following the retirement of former MP Jim Cunningham.

Sultana backed calls for open selection contests when Corbyn was still the leader of the Labour Party, but when the system of “trigger ballots” was introduced, she became vulnerable to this within her party. Local parties were able to “trigger” a selection contest if the majority chose to do so. Thus, she was forced to contest against challengers.

Sultana said: “I’m thrilled to have been unanimously reselected by my local Labour Party. It’s a huge honour and an even bigger responsibility with this calamitous Conservative government cutting taxes for the super-rich while slashing support for the rest.”

This win may have come as a shock to some as Sultana’s position was first reported as at risk in November 2021 as a part of the party’s attempts to disassociate with “Corbynites”, which Sultana is often considered.

Some people hostile to me were looking forward to me losing this. I’m sorry to have disappointed them ?https://t.co/cQpIwzWZ4W

— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) October 13, 2022

The vote contradicted suggestions by Politics Home that “the moderates locally have already got the numbers in Coventry South. Every branch [is] ready to press the button.”

The Boar contacted the Conservative Association (UWCA) at the University of Warwick for a statement.

Harry Jee, the Deputy Chairman (Membership and Communications), of UWCA stated: “Zarah Sultana’s reselection shows that the Labour Party and its membership remain utterly divorced from the concerns of ordinary, hard-working people.”

Jee also said that “a strong Conservative candidate in the next general election would have an excellent chance” in Coventry South.

Warwick’s Labour Society stated that they “are thrilled that our local MP Zarah Sultana has been reselected as a Labour Party candidate, especially with such a high majority…”

“…We have no doubt she will be successful in the next general election”.

Since her reselection, Sultana has already challenged the new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, urging him to “raise taxes on the super-rich, not cut our public services” and then called for a General Election.