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Labour looks set to start picking candidates

Michael Crick | 22:59 UK time, Monday, 13 September 2010

The Miliband brothers, the only contenders with a chance of becoming Labour leader, both think the party should start choosing Parliamentary candidates this autumn for the next election rather than wait for the new boundary changes, which won't be decided until 2013, more than three years from now.

David Miliband told the TUC hustings meeting on Monday evening he thought selections should go ahead, while Ed Miliband told me afterwards that he agrees with his brother on the issue.

I understand the decision is likely to be approved when Labour's Organisation Committee meets in October, especially when it should have the backing of the new leader, be it David or Ed Miliband.

And Labour's likely decision on this will now undoubtedly put the two coalition parties on the spot, and cause potential embarrassment between them.

It was previously thought that the boundary review would mean that selection processes by all parties would be delayed for three years, until parties were sure of the exact geographical area of each seat. Otherwise parties would have to go through the selection process twice.

But Labour stategists feel that the party will be severely weakened on the ground if they don't have an individual leading the party's constituency campaigning efforts. Hence they will pick candidates for seats, even though the seats are likely to change.

Many Labour MPs have strong misgivings about doing this as it may boost the prospects of other contenders when the new selection process starts in 2013 to reflect the new boundaries and the reduction in the total number of MPs from 650 to 600.

Now that Labour is pressing ahead with selections, the pressure will be on the coalition parties, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, to do the same.

That will inevitably cause tensions where candidates from one coalition party have been picked to oppose a sitting MP - or minister - from the other party.

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