LABOUR will hold a new selection process for the city’s parliamentary candidate after newspaper reports claimed its nominee was a ‘fantasist’.

The party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) decided that Mandy Richards displayed a lack of judgement by not disclosing potentially embarrassing information about her past.

The candidate came under a barrage of criticism this week after a Sunday Times article exposed her as a ‘fantasist who has been placed under 14 extended civil restraint orders by the High Court’.

MP Peter Dowd said Miss Richards had been suspended from the party on the Daily Politics show yesterday morning, although a Labour spokesman refused to confirm or deny this. 

Former Labour MP for Worcester Mike Foster said: “I’m relieved that the NEC have taken the correct decision for Worcester and for Mandy herself.

“I think it’s now time that lessons have to be learnt about the selection processes.

“With just over a week to go to the election we have got to put this whole sorry saga behind us and concentrate on the next eight days and make sure the local council is returned safely to a Labour council.”

Ian Craigan, the chairman of Worcester Constituency Labour Party, confirmed that Miss Richards will not be the party’s candidate in the next general election.

He added: “I am satisfied that the NEC has agreed with my own view that failure to share information at selection is a serious breach.

“There is no doubt that had members been in possession of the relevant facts the selection process would have had a different outcome.

“I am grateful to colleagues locally, regionally and nationally for ensuring that this matter was investigated and dealt with.

“We are determined to give people in Worcester the choice of a first rate Labour candidate at the next election and can now focus on that task.”

The Sunday Times reported that Miss Richards had made ‘false and vexatious claims’ against several organisations.

A series of conspiratorial tweets posted by Miss Richards were unearthed after the story broke.

The contest will be re-run after a review of the selection process.