FORMER MP Llew Smith said Labour's U-turn on an all-women shortlist for Blaenau Gwent seems like "an admission of guilt" and will not win them back the seat.

Mr Smith says: "I think the voters of Blaenau Gwent will react as they did in the previous election and give the New Labour candidate the thumbs down."

We exclusively revealed yesterday that the Blaenau Gwent Labour Party would not be using a controversial all-women shortlist to select its next candidate for the general election in the seat once occupied by Michael Foot and Mr Smith.

The issue led to former Labour stalwart Peter Law standing against his own party in protest at the move, and winning an historic landslide victory over Labour's Maggie Jones.

A major rift in the local party followed, with a number of Mr Law's supporters being expelled from the party.

Mr Law's agent Dai Davies said: "We ave a majority of 9,000 and it will be no easy task for them to win this seat back."

Mr Davies, who is the Independent prospective Assembly candidate, added: "Maybe they have seen the error of their ways - that it should be the best person for the job."

Yesterday, Labour's constituency secretary Lyndon Moore said the party needed to "rebuild trust".

Blaenau Gwent council leader John Hopkins, Labour's Assembly candidate, said: "I think probably in retrospect a mistake was made because of the particular candidate in question (Peter Law).

"He was a politician for 30 years in Blaenau Gwent and it would have been more helpful to the party had there been an open shortlist."

Pensioner Norma Edmunds, of Cwm, a former Labour voter, voted for Peter Law. She said: "They were wrong to bring in an all- woman shortlist before - nobody knew Maggie Jones.

"I will have to see who the candidates are for the next election before I make a decision on who to vote for."

Labour supporter Elaine Chappell, chairman of Garnlydan Residents' Association, said: "I think having someone forced upon us made a lot of people question who they voted for. It's lost Labour a lot of trust."