Many of his own MPs felt Mr Corbyn, who won a landslide victory to become Labour leader past year, had not campaigned vigorously enough for a “Remain” vote.
Advertisement
The legal challenge was brought by five new supporters who were subject to the freeze, imposed by the Labour party’s national executive committee (NEC).
As reported by the Reuters news agency, Corbyn now faces a leadership challenge from lawmaker Owen Smith who, like most of his colleagues in the party’s contingent in parliament, says Corbyn was lacklustre in campaigning to stay in the European Union and too poorly organised to effectively oppose the Conservative government.
Group secretary John Watson said: “We’re not prepared to accept that these MPs won’t listen to the party members who wanted to vote Jeremy Corbyn in as Labour party leader, and there’s been a tsunami of support for him ever since the Parliamentary party has tried to push him out”.
Owen Smith admitted he was the underdog in the bitter contest which has divided the Labour party because he believed the majority of new supporters would back his opponent.
As Labour’s internal war intensified, deputy leader Tim Watson also accused “Trotsky entryists” of manipulating young party members.
“Of course [I want to come back], yes”, he told BBC Radio 4’s the World at One.
A decision by the High Court to allow people who joined Labour after January 12 to vote in the leadership election means that 130,000 more people can take part.
Mr Watson said he had been “reliably informed” the document was being shared “between Momentum members with links to far-left parties” which summarises methods used by Militant in the 1980s.
Owen Smith has ruled out a return to the shadow cabinet if he loses his Labour leadership bid. Smith said he did not need to be as Corbyn had made his thoughts clear “for 40 years”.
“I think he is a good politician who is good at asking the right questions but he’s not good at providing the answers”.
Mr Burnham defended his neutral stance in the Labour leadership battle, after a former ally hit out at him.
The Kirkcaldy constituency Labour party joins a list of 153 CLPs across the United Kingdom to support Corbyn, including Edinburgh North and Leith and Glasgow Kelvin. Is that really what they think is in the best interests of our party?
Mr Miliband stepped aside past year after a disastrous Labour performance in the general election. Talking about us in that way. “Ed Miliband at this point in the cycle was nine points ahead in the polls”.
Advertisement
“I always put the unity of our party first, so that’s the way I’ve done my politics”.
