The NEC’s Johanna Baxter says the committee has not yet seen the legal advice produced for the leader’s office, the party and some rebel MPs – which apparently differ on whether Corbyn should be on the ballot paper without nominations – which she called “unacceptable”.
Advertisement
The former shadow business secretary who resigned along with almost the entire shadow cabinet is expected to launch a formal bid for the leadership on Monday.
But his opponents say the document’s wording means Mr Corbyn will also require the support of MPs and MEPs to stand – which, given his loss of the no confidence vote last month by Labour MPs by 172 votes to 40, means he is unlikely to be on the ballot.
But Corbyn said he was going nowhere and insisted he *would* be on the ballot paper automatically as the incumbent leader.
He defended his record as Labour leader, saying: “I think we’re a party that’s going places and is doing very well actually”.
“The rules and my view are absolutely clear”.
But in an attack on Mr Corbyn’s time as leader, Ms Eagle said: “Jeremy lost us local councillors in the elections, we have failed to win the European Union referendum which is going to cause enormous stress and pressure in our country, that is not the leadership that will take us forward”.
Lawmaker Angela Eagle said she would stand against veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn, the embattled head of the left-of-center party.
The vote of no confidence in Mr Corbyn by the party’s MPs showed he had “lost the support of the PLP with little prospect of regaining it”, Mr Watson said.
It is understood Mr Smith is also considering challenging Mr Corbyn for the leadership. Labour Party membership reportedly rose from about 200,000 in May 2015 to nearly 400,000 in January of 2016, with much of that surge attributed to Corbyn.
Mr Woodland, who said that he spoke only in his capacity as a party member and not as a representative of the union, said MPs were guilty of a “childish and pedantic way of dealing with their disagreement with the leader”.
There is debate within the party as to how its leadership challenge rules should be interpreted.
In what her supporters were touting as a major speech, the former shadow business secretary will seek to present herself as a potential boss of a credible opposition party which voters could trust to run the country. I’d just ask anyone in the party to think for a moment: is it really right that the members of the party should be denied a decision, a discussion, a choice in this. I know Tom Watson has worked tirelessly in a bid to reach agreement and respect his view that he can not take this process any further.
“I worked flat out”, Mr Corbyn replied.
The party could only protect workers “by winning elections”, she said.
Advertisement
Despite this, Corbyn has vowed to battle on as leader, citing a groundswell of support in the party membership. “The country needs Labour as an alternative government and we need Angela as our leader”.
