A LABOUR by-election candidate is today unmasked as a Greenpeace zealot.
Alistair Strathern, 33, posed as a zombie for an eco stunt.
Alistair Strathern, who is a Labour by-election candidate, posed as a zombie for an eco stunt
Mr Strathern seen outside the Home Office for one of the group’s stunts last November
Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to ditch Mr Strathern
Despite Mr Strathern’s Greenpeace links, Labour was earlier tonight still standing behind his candidacy
Our revelation about the Mid Bedfordshire hopeful comes days after Greenpeace activists climbed on PM Rishi Sunak’s home.
Sir Keir Starmer was earlier tonight urged to ditch Mr Strathern.
Cabinet minister Grant Shapps said: “One minute they are climbing the PM’s house, next they’ve got a Labour rosette on.”
The Energy Security Secretary added: “Sir Keir Starmer must show he practises what he preaches for once, and block the eco-mob from his candidates list.”
Alistair Strathern is Labour’s choice to contest the Mid Bedfordshire seat due to be vacated by Tory Nadine Dorries.
We can reveal Mr Strathern’s partner Megan Corton-Scott works as a political officer for Greenpeace.
The couple dressed as zombies outside the Home Office for one of the group’s stunts last November.
Mr Strathern was also pictured outside Parliament protesting against laws clamping down on Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion disruption.
Last week Greenpeace sparked a security alert and huge backlash by climbing on PM Rishi Sunak’s North Yorkshire constituency home.
Despite Mr Strathern’s links, Sir Keir was earlier tonight still standing by his candidacy.
Labour has come under fire for links to green groups.
And a party row has erupted over whether its London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s bid to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) cost them the Uxbridge by-election.
Labour selected Mr Strathern to try to overturn Ms Dorries’s 24,664 majority in Mid Bedfordshire after she said she was quitting as its MP in a row about peerages.
While she has yet to formally resign her seat, Labour came second there in 2019 with 14,028 votes and has been campaigning heavily.
Mr Strathern, seen with Sir Keir in the constituency last month, said on Sunday: “I don’t know when the election will be but it won’t stop me campaigning on issues that matter to you.”
The Oxford University graduate works for the Bank of England on climate matters.
Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said that Sir Keir must ‘block the eco-mob from his candidates list’
He is also a councillor in Waltham Forest, North East London.
On his council declaration of interests, Mr Strathern states his partner Ms Corton-Scott is a political officer for Greenpeace.
Earlier tonight the group confirmed she is an employee.
At November’s protest against the new Public Order Act, Ms Corton-Scott accused ministers of trying to “overthrow democracy when it comes to peaceful protest”.
Flanking her at the demo was Mr Strathern in zombie make-up and holding a tombstone placard.
The Act made illegal Just Stop Oil and XR tactics such as chaining themselves to buildings and blocking oil depots.
It also gave the police more powers to move protesters from sit-down road demos.
Following the demonstration at the PM’s house last Friday, No10 yesterday said Greenpeace should not get “a seat at the table” in any talks with Whitehall departments.
The PM’s official spokesman confirmed all departments had been ordered to suspend engagement.
He added: “Clearly given their actions and the arrests last week we don’t think it’s appropriate to engage with them.”
Labour has been criticised for taking hours to condemn Greenpeace’s action at Mr Sunak’s home.
The party is also under fire for refusing to return £1.5million donations from green-energy tycoon Dale Vince, who also bankrolls Just Stop Oil.
Today Mr Starmer criticised Just Stop Oil’s demands as “contemptible”.
Asked about Mr Strathern’s links to Greenpeace, Labour said earlier tonight: “Targeting a politician’s home is never acceptable and Greenpeace were totally wrong on this.
“The people of Mid Bedfordshire are sick of being taken for granted by the Tories and it’s time for change.
“They deserve an opportunity to elect a local, hardworking, full-time MP, and that is exactly what Labour is offering.”
