Jeremy Corbyn has been blocked from standing as a Labour candidate at the next election.
The party’s ruling NEC today voted 22-12 in favour of a motion in the name of Keir Starmer which said Labour’s chances of winning the next election would be “significantly diminished” if he is allowed to run again in Islington North.
Corbyn has been MP for the seat since 1983, but has been sitting as an independent since losing the Labour whip in 2020 after claiming anti-semitism in the party while he was leader had been “overstated” by his political opponents.
Starmer’s motion said the “Labour Party’s standing with the electorate in the country, and its electoral prospects in seats it is required to win in order to secure a parliamentary majority and/or win the next general election, are both significantly diminished should Mr Corbyn be endorsed by the Labour Party as one of its candidates for the next general election”.
It went on to say Labour’s hopes of victory in 2024 “are not well served by Mr Corbyn running as a Labour Party candidate”.
Corbyn has previously accused Starmer of a “flagrant attack” on democracy over his attempts to block him as a candidate.
“Any attempt to block my candidacy is a denial of due process, and should be opposed by anybody who believes in the value of democracy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Corbyn ally Jon Lansman this morning said Starmer was acting like Vladimir Putin.