THE campaign manager of Warrington North Labour Party has resigned.

Chris Vobe, son of Helen Jones, said it has been a ‘pleasure’ and a ‘privilege’ to lead on the Constituency Labour Party’s (CLP) local and national campaign strategy over the past 11 years.

Mrs Jones will not be standing in the general election on December 12 as she is retiring after 22 years as MP in the constituency.

In a letter to Warrington North CLP chair Cllr Graham Friend, Mr Vobe said: “I’ve always loved campaigning for our party – and with Warrington North members, it has always been comradely, enjoyable and entertaining.

“Our best moments have always been when we have come together and delivered some of those remarkable campaigns which have engaged voters, and offered a strong policy platform, a vision for our town which has appealed to both the left, centre-left and centre ground.”

Labour activist Charlotte Nichols, aged 28, will battle for Warrington North for the party in the pre-Christmas election after being selected earlier this week.

She is Jewish, a trade union officer and a socialist.

In his letter, Mr Vobe says he believes it is time to ‘step aside’ and let someone else take the reins.

Warrington Guardian:

Helen Jones hugs her son Chris Vobe after retaining her seat in 2010

He said: “I understand that our new parliamentary candidate has taken advice from senior councillors and colleagues in Warrington South, who have suggested to her that I should play no part in her forthcoming election campaign.

“I understand that she has chosen to accept that advice.

“She has, of course, every right to do so and I entirely respect her decision.”

In his letter to Cllr Friend, he also dismissed ‘alarming’ suggestions ‘from one of our colleagues in Warrington South’ labelling him as ‘corrupt’ and ‘guilty of other illegalities’.

Mr Vobe, a former borough councillor, said: “Needless to say, as you will know from your position as chair, none of this is true.

“At all times, I have respected the confidentiality of the selection process and have never responded to such inflammatory language in public.”

He also says he recently received a ‘private remark from one senior councillor’ that ‘the Labour Party would be better off if you found a packet of razor blades and did away with yourself’.

Mr Vobe added that ‘it is right’ for Ms Nichols to be able to build a team to run the constituency’s local and national campaigning, which ‘best conforms to her vision and ideas’.

And he confirmed that he, alongside Cllr Pat Wright and Cllr Andrew Hill, is looking forward to ‘continuing’ the efforts to secure seats in Rixton and Woolston during the parish and borough council elections next May.

It has proved to be an eventful start to the Labour’s election campaign in Warrington North.

The other confirmed candidates in the constituency are Tory Wendy Maisey, Liberal Democrat David Crowther and the Brexit Party’s Elizabeth Babade.

A Labour source said: “It is chaos in Warrington North Labour Party right now.

“We have a hard left candidate from Islington and with every passing day this seat is looking more like an open goal for the Conservatives.”