Bid to allow Jeremy Corbyn to stand as Labour candidate again is defeated

Conference rejects rule change while former leader is suspended from parliamentary party over antisemitism stance

A bid to allow Jeremy Corbyn to stand as a Labour candidate at the next election despite the ongoing row over his stance on antisemitism has been defeated.

Supporters of the former leader – who remains suspended by the parliamentary party – attempted to change Labour rules to allow him to run because he is still a member.

One told the Liverpool conference it “would be a gift to the Greens, to the Lib Dems and the Tories” if Mr Corbyn was blocked and forced to stand as an independent candidate or retire.

“If we don’t change the rules and Jeremy can’t stand for Labour at the next election, well that would just be a disaster for us frankly,” Peter Talbot, from his Islington North seat, claimed.

But the move was defeated heavily on a card vote by 62 per cent to 38 per cent, with both constituency parties and trade unions voting against it.

Mr Corbyn was suspended after he rejected part of a watchdog’s ruling that he failed to prevent antisemitism, instead blaming “an obstructive party bureaucracy” for failing to stamp it out.

In a Facebook post, Mr Corbyn said: “One antisemite is one too many, but the scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media.

“That combination hurt Jewish people and must never be repeated. My sincere hope is that relations with Jewish communities can be rebuilt and those fears overcome. While I do not accept all of its findings, I trust its recommendations will be swiftly implemented to help move on from this period.”

Although he was reinstated to the party three weeks later by the National Executive Committee (NEC), Keir Starmer retained the block on him sitting as a Labour MP unless he retracted.

In August, Mr Corbyn condemned his continued exclusion as “an utter disgrace”, but showed no sign of backing down in an attempt to rescue his Labour career.

“I was suspended from membership of the Labour Party for a Facebook post that I put up that was actually a considered response to a significant report and document,” he argued.

Mr Talbot told the conference: “Islington North is made up of the very mix of people that the Labour party hopes to represent: young and old, Black and ethnic minorities, lawyers, teachers, manual workers, council tenants, owner occupiers.

“Take a walk down any street – literally any street – in Islington North with Jeremy Corbyn and you will see just how broad his support is.”

But the vice-chair of the NEC’s organisation subcommittee warned that the proposed change would create a significant legal risk for the party.

“In order to successfully defend legal claims, the party must be able to show that it is applying its rules consistently and fairly,” Michael Wheeler said.

“Changing the fundamental rules midway through a parliamentary selection cycle leaves the party open to legal challenge for candidates that might be put at a disadvantage.”