Britain’s Labour Party is appealing against a court High Court ruling that said new party members should have the right to vote in its leadership election.
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The national executive committee (NEC) decision to make voting in the current leadership contest dependent on six months’ continuous membership as of July 12 – meaning anyone who joined Labour after January 12 was shut out – was described by Mr Justice Hickinbottom yesterday as a “breach of contract”.
He said: “This is a deeply disappointing decision by a small clique of people behind closed doors, many of whom have openly expressed their opposition to Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, who are now trying to use Labour members’ money to fund that they think is a further attack on Jeremy”.
Labour’s counsel, Peter Oldham QC, said the party had a “specific power” to impose a freeze date as part of drawing up an election timetable and the rules allowed the NEC to determine who was eligible to vote in the ballot.
Almost 130,000 more left-wingers could be cleared to back Jeremy Corbyn in Labour’s leadership contest today as a judge rules on their right to vote.
The judge has ordered the NEC to repay three of the claimants’ £25 fee, which they had paid on top of their membership dues in order to vote in the contest.
The five who won the legal challenge are Christine Evangelou, Rev Edward Leir, Hannah Fordham, Chris Granger and “FM”, a new member aged under 18.
The five members’ solicitor Kate Harrison told the press the court’s decision, including the rule to let minors vote in the election, is a triumph for democracy.
However, any extension may result in Labour Party conference having no leader present.
Labour’s leadership battle has intensified as Jeremy Corbyn and Tom Watson entered a war of words over the deputy leader’s claims that “Trotsky entryists” were manipulating young party members.
Ms Harrison stated: “This case was about the right to vote under the Labour Party constitution, under which all members are equal and valued”.
In a speech in Newcastle, Mr Smith will warn that Britain is “on the cliff edge of another recession” and will call for urgent action to secure the health of the economy in the short term as well as investment in the industries of the future.
The Labour party has been given permission to appeal to the court of appeal, which will hear the case at 10:30 on Thursday.
But within hours of the judgment, the NEC announced it would indeed appeal, insisting it was obliged to defend its right to “uphold the rule book” of the party.
Mr Justice Hickinbottom added that that was the basis upon which the five joined Labour, and the basis of their contract with the party.
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“All the time we were being held back because the prime minister just simply didn’t want – and I completely understand why – to deepen the chasm that had broken out in his own party”, said Lord Mandelson.
