NSW Labor has finally decided on whether to contest ScoMo’s seat of Cook ahead of by-election

Labor will not field a candidate in the upcoming Cook by-election, triggered by the resignation of former prime minister Scott Morrison.

It’s one of the Liberal Party’s safest seats in the country, held with a 12.5 per cent margin after Mr Morrison picked up 55 per cent per cent of the primary votes in the May 2022 election.

Labor supporters in Cook had been hoping Simon Earle, who contested the seat last election, would be picked again.

But, in a statement to Sky News, the party confirmed they would not be on the ballot at the April 13 by-election.

“Following extensive consultations across the Party, including with the federal parliamentary Labor Party and our valued rank and file members, NSW Labor will not be fielding a candidate in the forthcoming Cook by-election,” they said.

Earlier this month, pollster Kos Samaras said it would be a few more election cycles – if ever – before Labor believed they were in with a chance of winning Cook.

“There’s always the philosophy that you should always be on the ballot, but you can understand why they probably wouldn’t want to be there because it’s such a stable electorate for the Coalition,” he said.

“Scott Morrison got 55 per cent of the primary vote (in 2022), and Labor’s primary vote was very small (25 per cent).

“It will take years before this seat potentially becomes a problem for the Coalition, if it ever does.

“If Labor stands, and they have a swing against them, then it will build nerves off the back of nothing because they could stand and not spend a single cent and still have a narrative against them. I think there’s all downside, really.”

The Liberal Party preselected former McKinsey partner Simon Kennedy to contest the seat for the party.

Mr Kennedy, who moved to the electorate earlier this month after winning preselection, narrowly lost to Labor in the seat of Bennelong in the 2022 election.

He is up against five other candidates – Vinay Kolhatkar from the Libertarian Party, Natasha Brown, Roger Woodward, Martin Moore from the Greens, and Simone Francis Gagatam.

NSW Labor has been contacted for comment.