The High Court has ruled that 130,000 people who recently joined the Labour party could be allowed to cast a vote in the upcoming leadership election, in a move that many expect to be advantageous to Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign.
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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”.
Mr Corbyn told BBC Newsnight that the court judgment seemed “very clear” that all party members should be allowed to vote.
But he pointed out that Jeremy Corbyn had visited the West Bromwich Gudwara along with local MP and deputy leader Tom Watson in June, before the leadership challenge emerged.
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. Most of us joined because we believe in Jeremy Corbyn, to not be given the right to vote for him to remain as leader was utterly appalling.
Owen Smith, who is challenging Mr Corbyn for the leadership, said the timeframe for the leadership election should be extended if those extra members had the opportunity to vote.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, a key ally of Mr Corbyn, said the ruling was a “huge victory” and called on the party not to appeal.
The court action affects nearly 130,000 Labour supporters who are victims of the freeze.
“It’s crucial that Telford Labour members get to hear both candidates before they make their final decision”.
A Labour spokeswoman said: ‘It is right that the Labour Party seeks to defend vigorously decisions of the National Executive Committee in this matter, and we will now study this judgement carefully’.
“When the NEC voted to deny my vote I was angry and astonished at the lack of respect for members and internal democracy”.
I was in despair after the Brexit vote and then saw the [Parliamentary Labour Party] line up to destroy the one hope I could see for the future: the potential for change with Corbyn as Labour Party leader.
But Mr Miliband said Mr Smith is the best candidate to make the crisis following the European Union referendum “a progressive moment”.
But Smith said that in light of the ruling, the date for the leadership poll should be extended. A decision will be made at the party conference on 24 September.
Is that really what they think is in the best interests of our party?
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He added: “This case was always based primarily on the Labour party’s constitution as set out in the rule book”. 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.
