Change language
Actions
Displays
Remove from selection
Add to selection
Abstract

Jeremy Corbyn yesterday (Thursday) described a legal challenge against his candidacy in the party’s leadership election as a “waste of time and resources” after a High Court judge backed a decision to guarantee him a place on the ballot.

Wealthy Labour donor Michael Foster, a former parliamentary candidate, brought the claim against the party’s general secretary, Iain McNicol, and Mr Corbyn, who is being challenged for the leadership by rival MP Owen Smith after just 10 months in post.

Gavin Millar QC, for Mr Foster, told Mr Justice Foskett that Labour Party rules were “misapplied” when its national executive committee (NEC) voted by a majority of 18 to 14 that Mr Corbyn should automatically go on the ballot paper without needing to obtain the backing of 20 per cent of Labour MPs and MEPs – 51 nominations.

It is widely believed Mr Corbyn would have struggled to get that number of nominations among parliamentarians, only 20 per cent of whom supported him in a recent vote of no confidence.

However, the judge backed the NEC decision, stating that the Labour Party rulebook would give members the “natural impression” that there would be no need for MPs to nominate the incumbent, in this case Mr Corbyn.

Mr Justice Foskett, who described the affair as “about as unusual a case as can be imagined”, added that the court’s decision was “a narrow point of law” and “wholly unaffected by political considerations”.

In a statement following the ruling, Mr Corbyn said: “I welcome the decision by the High Court to respect the democracy of the Labour Party.

“This has been a waste of time and resources when our party should be focusing on holding the government to account.

“There should have been no question of the right of half a million Labour Party members to choose their own leader being overturned. If anything, the aim should be to expand the number of voters in this election.

“I hope all candidates and supporters will reject any attempt to prolong this process, and that we can now proceed with the election in a comradely and respectful manner.”

Mr Foster, who has said he will not appeal the decision, has been ordered to pay the party’s and Mr Corbyn’s legal costs.

Ballot papers in the Labour leadership election will begin to be sent out at the end of next month with the result announced at a special conference in Liverpool on September 24.