CLLR Don Thomas claims (Letters, April 5) that Rowenna Davis, the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Itchen was “shoehorned in”.

It is not clear what he is implying but for the record this is the reality.

The Itchen Parliamentary selection was carried out strictly in accordance with Labour Party rules and timetable.

There were four candidates who all spent many weeks contacting party members More than 150 Labour party members voted in the selection and Rowenna Davis obtained a majority on the first ballot.

Itchen Labour members would resent the suggestion that they did not make up their own minds on their choice.

If Don Thomas had ever met Rowenna he might understand why she won the nomination.

JOHN ARNOLD, Chair, Southampton Labour Party