Anyone can become registered supporters – giving them a one-off vote – if they pay £25 and “share” Labour’s aims and values.
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“I have spoken to many MPs who are friends of mine on the Labour benches who are genuinely intimidated by the behaviour of the insane few”.
Ms Eagle said: “I’m glad Labour’s NEC has come to a decision”. Join a union and sign up as an affiliated supporter!’
Mr Corbyn thanked trade unionists for their “unwavering support” over “the last few quite hard weeks”.
The NEC chose to raise the cost of joining as a registered supporter from £3 to £25 in a bid to prevent a repeat.
A former Labour minister last night called for the loophole in the rules to be closed immediately. ‘It looks like a desperate attempt by Unite to gerrymander the contest in Corbyn’s favour, ‘ he said. It means more than 100,000 people who have signed up since then will not be sent ballot papers. Unite’s leadership is way out of line with its members – McCluskey is behaving like a full-on Trotskyite, but polls show his members don’t want Corbyn, by a margin of two to one’.
“I am backing Owen Smith as I think he can provide the fresh and credible leadership Labour needs, with a resolute commitment to keeping our party together”.
Corbyn won almost 60 percent of first round votes when elected past year.
Meanwhile, a member of the NEC yesterday accused Mr Corbyn of endorsing bullying and intimidation at a crunch meeting this week to decide the rules for the contest.
‘Certain groups within the party published my personal contact details online.
“It can’t be just about people who paid to take part in the leadership election”.
However, there was also a boost for Labour rebels as rules that allowed anyone to vote in the leadership contest last summer by paying just £3 were ditched.
A second candidate joined the race Wednesday to try to unseat Britain’s opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is battling a party revolt in the wake of the Brexit vote.
They spoke after former shadow business secretary Angela Eagle and former shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith both announced they were challenging Mr Corbyn for the party leadership.
Mr Foster said three contrasting pieces of advice had been given by three different lawyers, and the matter must be considered by a neutral court of law.
He said: “I will stand in this election and I will do the decent thing and fight Jeremy Corbyn on the issues, just as he will do with me, and at the end of that I will stand behind whoever the leader is”.
Mr Opperman said: “Whatever your views of Corbyn, the behaviour of Momentum and the extremists who are threatening MPs on a repeat basis is utterly unacceptable”.
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Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, a close ally of Mr Corbyn, has branded the “plotters” trying to oust the Labour leader as “f****** useless”.
