Former Labour MP calls for party to ditch 'rigged' voting system
Scottish Labour members have said they are concerned the system could be manipulated to block left-wing candidates.
A former Labour MP has called for the party to halt the use of a controversial computer system which is part of a Met police fraud probe.
Beth Winter said she was appalled to learn that Scottish Labour has been using the Anonyvoter system to help select candidates for the next Holyrood election.
It comes after the Sunday Mail revealed that members in Scotland had contacted the party over fears the computer software could be manipulated to block left-wing candidates from standing as MSPs.
Similar concerns emerged about Labour's selection process for the 2024 general election with the Met police currently investigating reports of voter fraud in a London Labour branch.
Winter said: ' The system shouldn't be used for any future contests because of the concerns that I and others have already raised. There's no independent oversight whatsoever.
'The system is highly questionable and it should not be used under any circumstances. It is not transparent at all.'
Winter, former MP for Cynon Valley in Wales, called for an independent investigation into the Anonyvoter system after she lost her selection process in 2023 as did Sam Tarry - the partner of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
Despite winning the majority of votes from those who attended their selection contests in person, both Winter and Tarry lost via the online vote.
Scottish Labour members have said they are concerned the system could be manipulated to block left-wing candidates standing for Holyrood and pointed to a recent selection in Dundee between MSPs Mercedes Villalba and Michael Marra.
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Despite winning the vote in person Villalba lost to Marra due to the online votes with Marra receiving a significantly higher number of votes through Anonyvoter.
Members who contacted the party asking for reassurance or for another system to be used were either ignored or told that there had been no issues in Scotland and Anonyvoter would continue to be used in selections.
Winter said those hoping to stand for election for Labour should demand a contest without the computer system.
She said: 'The best advice is to insist on an in-person hustings and a paper ballot because once Anonyvoter is included then there is no independent oversight.
'There needs to be independent tellers overseeing the count, trade union people involved as well. That is the only way that any trust can be had in the selection process because I have absolutely no trust in Anonyvoter whatsoever.'
In March last year Winter instructed lawyers in an effort to understand what happened in her selection process.
She said despite reassurances the party failed to provide data they had previously agreed to hand over.
She quit Labour in November 2024, accusing party bosses of 'protecting the ruling class' and having an 'authoritarian agenda'.
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