The Labour Party has been accused of relegating black and Asian candidates to the back of the queue after a prominent activist was blocked from standing for parliament in his preferred seat.

A campaign by Shahid Malik, the only member of Labour's national executive from an ethnic minority, to stand for parliament in Burnley was undermined when the party imposed an all-woman shortlist on the seat.

Simon Woolley, national coordinator for Operation Black Vote, said: "Labour's equality agenda shoves blacks and Asians to the back of the queue. Labour's all-women shortlists will be all-white women shortlists."

The Times reports that Ed Balls, the chancellor's chief economic adviser, is expected to become the Labour candidate for Normanton after the constituency was one of the few not to have an all-woman shortlist imposed from London.