Candidates running to be Labour's candidate for Mayor of Liverpool will be re-interviewed, in a shock turn of events.
Ballots were due to go out to members today, who would be choosing from three shortlisted candidates to replace Joe Anderson as the party's candidate for May's election.
The 63-year-old won't be standing after he was arrested in December as part of a Merseyside Police corruption investigation.
The party has scrambled to put together a selection process to find a replacement candidate in recent weeks and current Acting Mayor Wendy Simon, former Deputy Mayor Ann O'Byrne and current Lord Mayor Anna Rothery had been whittled down to the final three.
Ballots were supposed to start going out today, with a candidate due to be selected by March 5.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
But in a surprising turn of events, Labour has today confirmed that the ballot has been 'paused', to allow time for candidates to be re-interviewed.
There is no further information as to why this decision has been taken, with a party source saying it is due to 'unforeseen circumstances.'
The news will come as a shock to many Labour members in the city who were getting ready to vote for their candidate after a period of campaigning and hustings.
Find your nearest vaccination centre by entering your postcode below
Labour said that ballot papers will be issued once the new interview process has been carried out.
A party spokesperson said: ""The ballot has been paused for a short period to allow time for the candidates to be re-interviewed. Ballot papers will then be issued."
