“They all joined when the Labour party website said in terms “you will be eligible to vote in leadership elections”.
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Mr Corbyn faces a leadership challenge from former shadow cabinet minister Owen Smith, who was nominated by 162 MPs – more than 70% of Labour’s representation in the Commons.
The leadership contest is set to intensify throughout the summer, with the level of interest in the outcome being demonstrated by the huge number of people who paid the £25 required to become registered members with a vote in the contest. Anyone who is subsequently barred from voting would not have their money refunded, our correspondent added.
Mr Smith, who is running his campaign against current leader Mr Corbyn on a “save Labour” platform, said that in some parts of the country “the way in which we saw rapid influx of – in particular – eastern European migrants after accession of those countries to Europe definitely caused downward pressure on wages”.
He was not expected to attend today’s one-day High Court hearing in person.
The case, to be heard on Tuesday by Mr Justice Foskett, follows the decision of Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) that the incumbent leader should automatically be included in the contest.
On Friday, more than 40 female MPs wrote to Mr Corbyn urging him to take “swift and tangible action” against the perpetrators, saying they were acting “in his name”.
Last week’s ruling means Mr Corbyn is a co-defendant with Mr McNicol. And over the coming days and weeks the Party will be taking further action to protect our members and to identify those responsible for this appalling behaviour.
“For a fair debate to take place, people must be able to air their views in an atmosphere of respect”.
“I want to be clear, if you are a member and you engage in abusive behaviour towards other members it will be investigated and you could be suspended while that investigation is carried out”, he said in a statement.
The Labour leader has strongly denied this and has previously signed a “code of conduct” against abusive behaviour during the leadership election.
Iain Watson said there was likely to be a vigorous debate over what constituted abusive language, particularly on social media.
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McNicol announced a leadership election on 11 July after the Wallasey MP Angela Eagle obtained the necessary number of nominations.
