Five new members of Britain’s crisis-hit main opposition Labour Party won a court case on Monday allowing them to vote in its leadership contest – a decision affecting 125,000 people.
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The High Court case was triggered by the decision by Labour’s governing body, the National Executive Committee’s (NEC), that full members could only vote if they had at least six months’ continuous membership up to July 12 – the “freeze date”.
Although bad news if you recently joined the Labour Party then cancelled your membership and cut up your card in disgust after they didn’t let you vote in the leadership election.
The court action affects nearly 130,000 Labour supporters who are subject of the freeze.
To gain the right to vote, members were given a window of opportunity, between 18 and 20 July, to become “registered supporters” upon payment of an additional fee of £25.
“Now many more members will have the chance to vote in the leadership election, I am today calling for an extension of the timetable so that all members have the opportunity to engage with Jeremy and me before making their choice”.
Corbyn’s visit follows a private rally held by his challenger Owen Smith at The Station on Silver Street which attracted 200 supporters last week.
The Labour Party was given permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal which it has now done.
Six candidates who are backed by Momentum – the grassroots left-wing organisation which supports Jeremy Corbyn – took a total clean sweep in the National Executive Committee elections, increasing Corbyn’s majority by two members.
The judge, Mr Justice Hickinbottom, ruled that refusing the five the vote “would be unlawful as in breach of contract”.
The ruling from Mr Justice Hickinbottom came after more than 1,700 people donated £30,000 to fight the crowdfunded legal action.
Reacting to the ruling Edward Leir – one of the five who brought the legal challenge – said the court’s ruling was a “victory for equality and inclusion”.
Mr Corbyn, who was due to address a rally in Bristol this evening, has not ruled out trying to stay on as leader even if Labour loses the 2020 General Election.
Former city councillor Simon Bowkett said: “It is only fair that those that take the decision to join, and pay, have the right to have their say in major decisions within a democratic party”. Under-18 Labour members, like “FM” who is mounting the challenge, have no way of registering to vote, despite being able to join the party at 14.
The Labour leader told The Sunday Mirror: “I want the House of Lords abolished and replaced by an elected upper chamber”.
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The ruling by the High Court is thought to benefit left wing incumbent Jeremy Corbyn, as a large amount of those who had joined the party in recent months are believed to be his supporters. “This statement was not qualified with any conditions – so the NEC’s attempt to retrospectively alter this contract has (rightly) been ruled to be wrong”.
