Paul Mason’s hopes of unseating a senior Tory MP in Pembrokeshire are crushed

The most high-profile candidate to attempt to get on the Labour longlist for Mid & South Pembrokeshire has fallen at the first hurdle.

Left wing activist and former economics editor at the BBC and Channel 4 News, Paul Mason, had put his name forward for selection as the Labour candidate at the next General Election.

It’s a new constituency, merging part of Preseli with Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South – where Mr Mason likes to spend time in his wife’s caravan.

He told Nation.Cymru that he doesn’t know why he’s failed to make it past the first round of the selection process.

“I have no idea why I was excluded from the longlist; no reasons have been given and I’m still trying to find out.”

He also thanked all the Constituency Labour Party (CLPs) who had pledged their support.

Five candidates are believed to have made it on to the longlist.

Holiday home

As an Englishman who loves to spend long holidays in a caravan located on a small site in Pembrokeshire, Mr Mason has been criticised for putting his name forward because he doesn’t live in Wales.

In a lengthy interview earlier this month, Mr Mason told Nation.Cymru:

“If I’m selected, I will move immediately. My wife has a caravan and we got it to be near our close friends and family in Pembrokeshire.”

The candidates which are chosen to go on the longlist are passed on to a local selection committee to decide which applicant becomes their candidate.

Because it’s a new constituency, the Conservatives must choose between Simon Hart MP and Stephen Crabb MP as their candidate.

Paul Mason pointed out that, “Simon Hart is the Chief Whip of the Government and has an 8,000 majority. Anybody that assumes it’s going to be easy to defeat the Tories, is underestimating.”