Waiting in the wings for the show to begin

Labour, as expected, has chosen an all-female, all-BAME shortlist for the Lewisham East by-election. They are: Janet Daby, Brenda Dacres, Sakina Sheikh and Claudia Webbe.

Daby and Dacres have years of local service with the Council under their belts. The Labour leadership and Lewisham Momentum prefer Webbe and Sheikh.

Islington Councillor, friend of Jez and NEC member Claudia Webbe has attracted criticism for her previous defence of Ken Livingstone's antisemitism and her appearances on Iranian and Russian state TV. On the other hand, she is related to Simon Webbe, singer of No Worries, one of the most perfect pop songs of all time.

Worth noting that there are nominally other contenders from other parties involved in this election. More on them soon.