Neath MP Christina Rees banned from election selection

A former shadow Welsh Secretary has been prevented from seeking selection to be the Labour candidate for the new constituency of Neath and Swansea East.

The current MP for Swansea East, Carolyn Harris, was selected unopposed to fight the next general election.

Ms Harris said she was "delighted" and Ms Rees has been asked to comment.

It was confirmed last month the current Labour MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney Gerald Jones had been selected ahead of his colleague Beth Winter - the serving MP for Cynon Valley - in the race to be selected as the Labour candidate for the new seat of Merthyr Tydfil and Upper Cynon.

Neath and Swansea East is another new constituency where it was thought there could have been similar contest.

However, given she remains suspended by Labour having first lost the party whip in October 2022, Ms Rees was deemed ineligible to stand for selection by the party.

She has been the MP for Neath since 2015, when she succeeded Peter Hain and sat on the Labour front bench during Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, serving as the shadow Secretary of State for Wales between 2017 and 2020.

She currently sits as an independent MP and has previously said she was "cooperating" with the investigation into the allegations made against her.

Ms Harris, who has represented Swansea East since 2015 and is the deputy leader of Welsh Labour, said she was "delighted to be the candidate for the new seat of Neath and Swansea East".