Sam Mannion Will Not be Standing for Labour in the Plaistow South By-election

Following the sudden death of Cllr Neil Wilson, a by-election has been called for Plaistow South Ward.

Following an exhaustive selection process in which the prospective candidates were subjected to rigorous assessment, Labour announced their candidate, Sam Mannion. Who?

Leaflets were written, printers engaged and the party cadres were contacted to ensure a good turnout in support of his candidature.

“We are now getting into the full swing of our by-election efforts. We are going to be out in Plaistow South ensuring that we keep the spirit of Labour in the ward.” …

“On Saturday 16th August, we will be officially launching our campaign. This will be a great opportunity to get to know our candidate, Sam Mannion. Why not come along and celebrate the launch of the campaign?”

It must have come as something of a disappointment to the local party big wigs to discover that Sam had abruptly pulled out of the race, on or around the 13th August. Apparently, the health of Sam’s mother had deteriorated in the first two weeks of the month, necessitating Sam’s undivided attention.

This left Labour with something of a problem; finding a new candidate and getting the requisite forms lodged with the Returning Officer by the 21st August. Not impossible, but a bit of a bind.

What will be interesting is whether the money already spent on election material for Mannion will be counted as part of the election expenses for the new candidate. At 8p multiplied by the number of electors, that won’t leave a lot of room for new stuff. 

And of course, they have several boxes of redundant election leaflets that they have to shift down to the recycling plant at Jenkins Lane. 

Observers have been swift to suggest that Labour still seems to be incapable of organising the convivial consumption of alcohol within the confines of a manufacturing plant owned by Truman or Carling.