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Right-to-vote ruling boosts Jeremy Corbyn’s bid to hold Labour leadership
The ruling sparked calls from Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who is leading Mr Corbyn’s campaign, for the NEC not to appeal.
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Meanwhile, Mr Smith has stressed “of course it’s possible” that he could still win the contest, but he called for the timetable of the election to be changed.
Salman Shaheen of Momentum – Hounslow responded: “Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour Party with the biggest ever mandate a year ago and he will be elected again with an equally commanding mandate this year”.
The Labour Party was given permission to appeal and a hearing could take place later this week.
Ballot papers in the leadership contest are due to be posted to members, trade unionists and registered supporters on August 22 and the victor announced on September 24.
However, such members and non-members were then given an extra opportunity to gain the right to vote if they paid £25 between July 18 and 20.
Led by Labour backer Hannah Fordham, the group argued it was illegal to freeze out Labour members who had “paid their dues”.
According to Stephen Cragg QC, who is representing the five, the NEC is unlawfully “freezing” out his clients and many others from voting in the party leadership contest, which pits Jeremy Corbyn against challenger Owen Smith.
The case in the High Court centred on a claim from five new members who challenged the NEC’s decision to bar people who had become members or registered supporters after January 12.
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”.
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn’s leadership campaign said it showed “a desire for real and genuine change in our party”.
But Mr Justice Hickinbottom, sitting in London, ruled that refusing the five the vote “would be unlawful as in breach of contract”.
Both supporters and opponents of Mr Corbyn had been behind a recruitment drive in recent months as they sought to bolster grassroots support, boosting Labour membership to more than 500,000 – higher than under Tony Blair.
Ms Harrison stated: “This case was about the right to vote under the Labour Party constitution, under which all members are equal and valued”.
The Labour leader – who faces a challenge from Welsh MP Owen Smith – said the “decision has been made”.
“The Labour Party should not now be pitching member against member and spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on an appeal to keep people from voting”. In reality, the party is operating in the form of two rival factions which are now more interested in defeating each other than providing credible opposition to an increasingly comfortable Tory government.
“Labour wants to be a mass movement”.
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Other backers directly bringing the legal action included Christine Evangelou, Rev Edward Leir and Chris Granger.