To receive immediate updates on current news, register for our breaking news email subscription service at no cost.
Please register for our complimentary email alerts for breaking news.
Join our mailing list to receive free email notifications for breaking news.
Sue Gray’s son has declared his intention to run as a Labour candidate in the upcoming general election, following his mother’s role as an investigator in the partygate scandal.
Liam Conlon, an activist, stated on X (previously referred to as Twitter) that he is seeking to become the party’s nominee for Beckenham and Penge, a newly formed constituency in the south-eastern region of London.
He posted on Twitter that our new community requires a Labour Member of Parliament who will bring about actual transformation for those who are most in need.
“I will begin by achieving success. It will not be simple, but I will utilize my expertise in national campaigning to assist in achieving it.”
Mr Conlon lists himself on his website as vice chair of the Lewisham West and Penge Constituency Labour Party (CLP), national chair of the Labour Party Irish Society and a disabilities officer at the Communication Workers Union (CWU).
He posted photos on social media of his campaign efforts during the by-elections in Mid Bedfordshire and Selby and Ainsty.
Ms Gray, the previous high-ranking government employee in charge of the investigation into parties that violated coronavirus lockdown protocols at Downing Street, is his mother. Her report was instrumental in the downfall of Boris Johnson’s leadership.
She made the transition this year to serve as the chief of staff for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, which upset both Mr. Johnson and certain Conservative members of parliament.
Ms Gray quickly gained fame as she took on the role of investigating the partygate scandal, going from a relatively unknown figure in government to a well-known and influential authority on government conduct.
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, which monitors unethical behavior, advised a six-month gap between her departure from the government and beginning her job with Sir Keir. The Labour party followed this recommendation.
Ms Gray started her role with Labour in September and is regularly seen around the parliamentary estate in Westminster, having been tasked with preparing the party — which is consistently well ahead of the Conservatives in the poll — for potentially entering 10 Downing Street after the next election.
During the late 1980s, amidst the Troubles, she and her husband, country and western singer Bill Conlon, operated a pub in Newry, Northern Ireland. They were married at the time.
A member of the Conservative Party proposed that her son’s attempt to run for a position with the Labour Party “brings into question whether Sue Gray was truly unbiased.”
Paul Bristow, the Member of Parliament for Peterborough, stated to The Sun On Sunday: “How could she have been unaware when her own family member was actively seeking a seat in the upcoming election?”
However, Jill Rutter, a former employee of the Treasury and now an associate fellow at the think tank British Future, believes it is unreasonable for there to be any discontentment regarding his choice to run.
“Liam Conlon has been a member of the Labour party for a longer period of time than Sue Gray,” tweeted Ms Rutter, highlighting Mr Conlon’s various leadership positions within party groups.
Regardless of his mother, he would be an excellent choice for the neighboring areas of Beckenham and Penge.
Bob Stewart, the current Member of Parliament for Beckenham, has been chosen by the Tory party as their candidate for the upcoming election in the Beckenham and Penge constituency.
The Boundary Commission for England conducted a review to create a more equitable distribution of population sizes in Westminster seats, resulting in the establishment of this seat.
Source: independent.co.uk
