A second British opposition Labour lawmaker entered the contest to topple leader Jeremy Corbyn yesterday, boosting the veteran left-winger’s chances of being re-elected by splitting the support of those who oppose him.
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Smith has thrown his hat into the ring after Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee, said Corbyn would automatically be on the ballot without needing to collect nominations from MPs.
However, there was also a setback for Mr Corbyn as the NEC changed some rules for the contest, so people can only vote if they have been a member for at least six months.
So far, Corbyn has managed to resist pressure from his party members to step down as the leader after Britons chose to leave the European Union late June.
Speaking on BBC radio, Smith said: “Jeremy Corbyn has been right about a lot of things but he is not a leader who can lead us into an election and win for Labour”.
However, he says he has lost “faith and confidence” in Mr Corbyn’s ability to lead the party effectively and attacked some of the leader’s allies, labelling them “part of the problem”. However, centrists believe his left-wing policies do not appeal to the electorate.
The decision, taken in a secret ballot in London, will be seen as a bitter blow to his own estranged MPs who had hoped the NEC would rule he required endorsement from 51 Labour MPs, like his challenger Angela Eagle.
A statement released by the constituency party says: “This constituency expresses deep concern over the apparent disregard shown by some members of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), towards democracy in our party”.
This week Labour’s National Executive Committee voted by 18 votes to 14 that, as incumbent, Corbyn did not need to garner enough votes to meet the threshold.
It is likely the victor will be announced at the party conference in September.
At stake is the future direction of Britain’s main opposition party. “And I am determined to win it”, she said on Twitter.
Len McCluskey, the leader of the Unite union, said it would be undemocratic to force Corbyn to secure the backing of Labour MPs before he could be allowed to stand, and accused the parliamentary party of launching a “squalid coup”.
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Corbyn, however, voiced concerns over the vandalism incident, saying, “It is extremely concerning that Angela Eagle has been the victim of a threatening act and that other MPs are receiving abuse and threats”.
