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Updated at 8pm
JEREMY CORBYN WILL face Angela Eagle for the leadership of the UK Labour Party after the party’s National Executive Committee voted that the sitting leader should be on the ballot paper in a new election.
The decision comes after a tense few hours when the committee excluded Corbyn from their meeting before conducting a secret ballot.
They were deciding whether Corbyn’s name should automatically appear on the ballot, or whether he’d need the support of 20% of Labour’s parliamentary party. It was estimated that if this was the case he would need to be nominated by 51 MPs or MEPs, in the same manner as any normal candidate.
It’s thought Corbyn would have struggled to collect the 51 nominations needed to make the ballot, as his support is concentrated among the wider grassroots membership of the party.
In a statement follwoing the meeting, the NEC said that the incumbent leader would go on the ballot without needing to be nominated.
Corbyn’s opponents had contended that he needed to be nominated while unions, who have strongly backed Corbyn, contended this was not the case.
Corbyn had also threatened legal action if the party did not included him on fresh leadership vote.
Corbyn was elected in a landslide victory last year, after a campaign that encouraged people to join Labour to cast their votes in his favour. Previously, Corbyn had been a little-known left-wing MP for decades.
The start of the fresh leadership race followed weeks of turmoil for the party. The drama began in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit referendum result, as a raft of senior spokespeople announced their resignations in protest over their leader’s perceived lacklustre performance campaigning for a Remain result.
That was followed by a non-binding vote of no confidence, which Corbyn lost – badly.
Angela Eagle, a former shadow minister, officially launched her leadership campaign yesterday, promising to bring “strong” leadership to the role. Owen Smith, another ex-senior spokesperson, is also mulling a bid.
Len McCluskey, the leader of the UK’s Unite trade union, described Eagle’s decision to challenge for the Labour leadership as a “political lynching”.
Earlier, workers at Eagle’s constituency office said that a brick was thrown through her window.
The Tories
On the other side of the aisle, David Cameron has chaired his final cabinet meeting as prime minister today, with Theresa May expected to take over in the role tomorrow.
May, who has been home secretary since 2010, had been preparing for a long leadership contest of her own. However, her only remaining rival for the leadership of the Conservative party, Andrea Leadsom, announced yesterday she was withdrawing from the contest.
Removal vans have already arrived on Downing Street (below) to begin loading the Cameron family’s belongings.
A happy tune
Cameron announced yesterday that he planned to leave office much sooner than expected, in the wake of Leadsom’s surprise decision to drop out.
The outgoing PM sounded a little relieved to be leaving his post. Making his way back inside Number 10 after making his announcement yesterday, Cameron was heard humming an upbeat tune (listen below).
- With reporting by Rónán Duffy
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Labour MP’s really trying anything to get rid of him. Let the party members decide if he remains leader or not – you know that thing called democracy that Labour were so gung-Ho to bring to Iraq
Which is more important democratically a hundred thousand odd party members ? Or MP’S speaking for millions of their constituents ?
Since when to MP’s genuinely speak for their constituents?
Ask Alan Kelly!
Well seeing as it is a party issue the party members should have the final say – that’s why they pay membership dues etc. It’s up to the MPs to convince the party membership why they need to change leader ie that the general public think it’s time for a leadership change
Exactly Podge. They want to bypass the public. If they think Corbyn is unelectable as PM but Eagle is then try and convince them. If they can’t then they’d hardly convince the British public.
They’ve got themselves in quite some mess.
Capital soon loses interest in democracy when it starts to produce results it hasn’t engineered.
The Red Tories are desperate to cast the ‘left’ adrift but they might just be remodeling British politics which leaves no place for themselves in the aftermath.
A new party will emerge no matter what the result leaving the Blue Tories in the driving seat for a generation.
The old saying, be careful what you wish for, might have relevance here.
Angela eagle . She is probably one of the worst to challenge corbyn. A staunch supporter of the iraq war. She is a big Blair fan and has said poor Blair has been put through the mill enough over the iraq war and won’t back a contempt motion against him.
handing over PM job?
Angela Eagle faces the prospect of a no confidence vote from her own constituency Labour party, it was revealed just hours before she launches her formal leadership challenge against Jeremy Corbyn.
She received only 1% in the last labour contest.
https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/angela-eagle-labour-leadership-jeremy-corbyn-no-confidence-vote-constituency-party-a7130421.html&ved=0ahUKEwjMw5js3u3NAhUoD8AKHbebBrMQqG8IGjAA&usg=AFQjCNHMuA5DhKK5ufGryG76jAM5CFDVpA
Angela should take her own advice……
https://www.facebook.com/fairersocietyforUK/videos/1608348862790470/
Podge,mdemocracy seems to be a moveable fear in UK, at present. For Corbyn, people want the people to decide, not the MPs. The Referendum “Remain” people, meanwihile, having heard the people speak now want the MPs to decide.
Funny old game.
Just because an MP was elected, it is still a very long way from assuming that all the people in his/her constituency share his/her views on all topics. If the people express a direct preference then the MP should consider who put him/her into office and who they actually work for…the people.
Quaint idea, I know.
He’s the only politician left standing in the UK with a shred of integrity. Intelligent man but needs to play the game of politics a lot better
So much integrity that he spent his entire career voting against the EU, then declared for the Remain campaign but went about arguing for it in a really half-arsed way. Great man.
But that’s why we like him. He doesn’t mess about with politics when issues need addressing
The EU issue needed addressing and he dodged that one pretty comprehensively…
Gordon McCabe……..And a great friend of terrorists and Jew-haters.
No he isn’t. Time and time again he is shamelessly misquoted or lied about. Like the time Cameron claimed Corbyn saw the death of bin Laden as a ‘tragedy’, when in fact Corbyn had merely expressed regret that bin Laden had not been captured alive so he could be made to stand trial for his crimes. Or the recent hysterical claim that Corbyn had compared Israel to Isis. The actual quote? “Our Jewish friends are no more responsible for the actions of Israel or the Netanyahu government than our Muslim friends are for those of various self-styled Islamic states or organisations.” Whoops!
@Harry Whitehead……………Thanks for quoting Corbyn comparing Israel to ISIS.
But there is a heck of a lot more than this. Corbyn has been up to his ears in Jew-hatred by covering for those who were caught out; below is just a sample from Douglas Murray writing in ‘Gatestone’ and it’s difficult to chose a sample for it’s all bad. Read the lot from the link.
-
…”In March we covered the growing tolerance within the party for the spread of anti-Semitic tropes and the dominance of anti-Semitic types. Parliamentary candidate Vicky Kirby had previously been suspended from the Labour party for tweeting about Jews having “big noses” and about Adolf Hitler being the “Zionist god” and similar less-than-attractive outpourings. Under Mr Corbyn’s leadership, Ms Kirby was reinstated and became the vice-chair of her party’s local chapter….”
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8440/uk-labour-pains
@Gordon – pretty much hit the nail on the head there.
@Ben – just like a government needs a solid opposition in order to serve democracy so does an international entity like the EU. Personally I think the Brexit vote is throwing the toys out of the pram but there is no doubt that just like an unchallenged government, the EU would step all over small economies in the interests of more powerful ones.
@PJOC – I find myself conflicted. On the one hand I roll my eyes at your never ending and selective quoting, your copypasta and your victimhood. But when it comes to Labour and antisemitism they certainly haven’t tackled it. I just hope you recognise the same lack of perspective in your own tiring blinkered posts. (Cue “PERSPECTIVE????? PERSPECTIVE????” and “you’re all terrorist sympathisers if you don’t agree with me”)
@Tony Canning ……..I know you are conflicted Tony. I’ll be glad to take your posts seriously if and when you ever resolve your conflicts as they pertain to the topics on thejournal.ie.
More Mossad spoofery Patrick.
@PJOC – I’m only conflicted in that someone like yourself can say something I can even partially agree with. For you everything seems binary – a world of black and white with no grey in between. That confuses me. I’m sure you’re next post will be about how confused I am but I’d love to hear first how you feel I’m conflicted beyond the unsavoury notion of agreeing with someone who (as far as I’m concerned) has expressed some of the most divisive, bigoted and blinkered views on the journal.
Usually, when challenged you either flood with quotes from the most obviously biased sources or find a way to twist someone else’s opinion towards them being terrorist sympathisers but I’m not really sure what you can possibly come up with outside of that.
Of course, that’s ignoring the under the radar suggestive comments and the “I can’t reply to that” silence that often seems to hit you when someone points out that they can see right though you.
Just to give you a reason to (give a pathetic) reply… “Jew-hatred”? are you still on that old chestnut?
@ Patrick J OConnor: cheers for the response Patrick. A ridiculous, over the top comment to start my day with a smile :-)
Corbyn voted against the Iraq war. Eagle voted for the Iraq war and voted against having the Chilcott inquiry. I hope that makes up the Labour Party mind
This is a farce. The guys got widespread grass roots support but simply because his fellow elected mps simply don’t like him, they want him out. No democracy in that party either!
The Labour muckymucks don’t want a socialist leading them!
No doubt Comrade Corbyn will be “democratically” re elected by the Militant rent a mob who joined the party for the sole purpose of voting for him. Wonder how many have actually even turned up to a constituency meeting assuming they even know where it is?! On the plus side, his continued leadership should prevent a Labour election victory for at least ten years.
It will cause a split of the party if Corbyn is not on the ballot. Of that there is no doubt.
Most likely a split in the party regardless… If there was anyone more convincing than Angela “I voted for invading Iraq” then perhaps that may have worked to unify Labour.
They’re trying to keep him off the ballot because he’s too popular? Doesn’t make sense.
I hate to agree with George Galloway but everything he said on the subject is true
If he hasn’t got the support of his parliamentary party, how can he function as leader of the opposition and as an alternative Prime Minister?
Shouldn’t the MPs follow their electors’ wishes, not their own agenda?
Will those MPs be around next election if they don’t do what their electorate want?
Well if none of his MPs are going the be able to hold onto their seats, what will be left for him to lead?
We don’t really know what their electorate want – we only know what the party membership want.
Drugs, sex with prositutes and drink.
Sounds like my kind of party Alois
It will be 90′s music too ;0)
Let labour split then, in the next general election, Corbynism can show how it resounds with the UK electorate.
A new party will come from all of this. Probably a good thing. Don’t forget it’s not like here where you have 2 not very different parties in the majority. Labour/Tory has been the choice for decades in the UK and they have just become more and more like each other, particularly since the 90′s.
The UK has a much larger electorate with many voters just barely siding with one of these 2 sides. Begging for a centrist party…
The Corbyn support in Labour grass roots is no such thing. It is hard left and socialists who have joined the Labour Party for no other reason than elect him leader. Spend £15 to become a member and then vote for to become leader is farcical. The parliamentary party should have a say as they are more representative of the millions who have voted for Labour.
Corbyn claiming 100,000 people signing up to Labour is great news for the party. Total nonsense. They would be gone again in the morning if he was defeated. The man is an utter ideologue and an other example how politics in the western world is drifting to the extremes (right and left). We should all be worried when the centre loses ground.
Labour shouldn’t be a centre party. They should be left. Same with our dreadful labour party here. Labour parties should be sticking up for workers, not starting wars and bringing in water charges
Simon,
You’re aware of course the current “farcical” leadership electoral system that your referring to was an attempt by Milliband to lessen the influence of the trade unions on the party as clearly stated in the Collins review?
It had the delightful and unintended consequence allowing 200, 000 new (and lapsed) members to join the Labour party last year in order to propel Corbyn to the leadership. The Corbyn victory is in fact a spectacular own goal by the Red Tories. Much like the spectacular own goal that the Cameron has just scored with the Brexit result.
And you might recall that the ideologue Corbyn bitterly opposed the illegal invasion of Iraq while the “centre” led by Blair were baying for blood.
The extreme left as you call it got us, in the time of our fathers and grandfathers, voting rights, education for all, sick pay, pensions, healthcare etc… That was the left we should be calling for. Those who are not left, shouldn’t call themselves as Labour.
@ Jindrich. Wrong, the centre brought in the welfare state post ww2. Anyway so what? The US Republicans are the party of Lincoln and look at them now.
@ Ross and Wally your comments typify the extremism that is found on the internet. “My way or the highway” “No compromise”. If I dont agree with a politician its perfectly acceptable to call him a traitor. You want to see hard left in action get a flight (if you can find one) to Venezuela. And the hard right before Chavez were just as bad but in a different way.
You guys are so typical of people who think they have all the answers when really you dont have a clue. Governance means working with people. It means compromise, that dirty dirty word for extremists. Believe it or not you dont know it all. You spend your days writing comments on the Journal because in the real world almost nobody agrees with you.
The left need to understand that people want to be able to raise their families in relative comfort without the state taxing everything. They dont want their services (Luas) held to ransom by greedy ‘workers’ and their unions.
The right need to understand that the rest of us dont exist to make them rich. They are lucky enough or talented enough to earn high incomes well they are in that position because they live in a society that affords them opportunity and they should return that favour generously.
Both sides need to understand that an entire generation of people are dying fleeing the middle east and we cant abandon them.
Sick of listening to you guys and your ilk on both sides of the spectrum
Ireland has never had an extreme left party which got more than a handful of votes, but managed to implement all of those things. If you look at the neighbours:
Voting rights – 1832-1928. Voting rights for women introduced 1918 (Liberal / Conservative coalition) and extended to all over 21 1928 (Conservative)
Sick pay – 1983 (Conservative)
Pensions – 1911 (Liberal)
The NHS is the only one of those which is a genuine achievement of the Labour party. Its effect on public health should be measured against public sewerage (predates Labour party), clean water (predates Labour party), infection control (first meaningfully implemented 1908 – Conservative) and family planning (operated privately for 40 years before being absorbed into the NHS; not included in original Labour NHS plan).
Wow Simon, hope you got some relief after that tirade. Thanks for the insults but when did I say labour should be extreme or hard left? I said they should be left wing, that’s all. Since when is opposing war ‘extremist’?
Cool your boots, you nutter
Simon, excellent comment. Should be circulated to all politicians…and advisers…in all countries.
The thing is Simon, most of those who are complaining Corbyn is ‘extreme left’ are talking nonsense. Most of his policies are little different from those already found in the Nordic states – social democracy rather than socialism. The problem is politics in the UK has been right of centre for so long that most people have a warped view of where the centre actually is; it’s so distorted that Tory governments of old would be considered ‘left wing’ by modern standards.
Get over it ask the families of those butchered by Saddham Hussien and take a look at BBC 2 at 9pm and see the hurt inflicted by mad men who rule with no mercy
Jesus simon ,you are talking some crap. He is taking the party in the direction where Labour the party should be on the left. The Red torys were killing the party and becoming more like the Conservatives. That is why the got hammered in the last election . The establishment don’t like him, because he a speaks for ordinary people .
The problem here is one of hierarchy. The general membership of Labour get to vote on candidates nominated by the members of parliament according to the rules of nomination. There is no precedent for a person being nominated in any other way. There is a huge difference between those who nominate and those who vote. Those higher up nominate; those lower down vote. If Jeremy wants to be in the contest he needs to be nominated. If nominated successfully then he may well be voted in as leader by the Labour membership. There may well be a schism in the Labour Party as it may be impossible to ditch a properly elected Party leader who has fallen from favour with the Parliamentary elected representatives. When election by the general membership came in, no exit strategy was put in place to de-elect a leader. As it stands the Leader of the Labour Party can neither be gotten rid of nor be put forward for re-selection. Another fine mess!!!!
Remains to be seen if he needs a ‘nomination’ from 51 MPs, heard that the most senior Counsel in the land said he doesn’t need that to be on the ballot.
Are the Unions and hundreds of thousands of members going to shrug their shoulders and say That’s Grand So if they try to stop him.
Nothing like a Civil War to weed out the Traitors.
Delighted that bunch of neo liberal parliamary Blairites didn’t get their way and I hope he whips their arses. Oh how we could dearly do with a Corbyn here.. He’d sweep in
Corbyn is unelectable. If you believe in left wing policies and wish to see them implemented, why support a leader who cannot become prime minister? Could it be that many on the left secretly don’t want power and are more comfortable with protest politics? Surely not.
It seems that the Labour Blairites have no concept of what democracy IS?
Democracy is an over used word and never practiced as its always infiltrated by money and influence.
Too true, Tim.
If she gets it then Labour will be finished, they will look undemocractic and being blind, the same blindness that caused the Brexit to happen. When politicians are self serving rather than citizen serving then things like Brexit happens and it seems that the Labour party are making the same mistake as the Tory’s did.
Then if she looses she will have to go then herself, a risk for one or the other, does anyone in the U.K. respect the democratic right of the people anymore as Blairite-ism is a cancer in the Labour party, that in itself explains the brick through her window and her actions might explain trying to take some heat from the press on Tony and that report as well?
Even if Labour is split, so what? Corbyn must win in the interests of democracy.
With the Blairites in control it is simply another Tory Party,
Christ he’s a joke. The conservatives probably can’t believe their luck – an unelectable opposition leader decimating the party.
Labour has a death wish – how can anyone reasonably suggest Corbyn has the remotest chance in hell of ever becoming PM — Even Enda has more charisma
The Labour Party in UK is in terminal decline as their choices for leaders are head the balls without a hope in hell of winning an election. The extremes on both sides mean the conservatives
Are going to be the permanent Gov
For generations as they know how to win and elect shrewd leaders. Cameron’s mistake was to bend the knee to the loonies on the right not aware that the loonies on the left saw it as way to inflict damage to the status quo.
Mps just don’t get it
Corbyn went out to celebrate with his supporters the NEC’s decision to allow him on the ballot without being nominated by MP’s and MEP’s. While he was out the NEC decided that the cut-off point for members and registered supporters being allowed to vote in the leadership election was 6 months ago; thereby cutting out of the election the 100,000 suspected Momentum entryists who have joined in recent weeks to support Corbyn. Another example of his poor political and tactical judgment.
I wonder if the Tory entryists who became registered supporters last year to vote for Corbyn and stuff the Labour party will vote for Corbyn again? Or will they vote for Eagle to bring back a credible opposition leader and promote parliamentary democracy (as I would if I had a vote)?
Eagle ,herself won’t even get elected at the next election . She has lost the support of her own constituents. Finally, Britain has a proper left wing party that represents the ordinary man and woman and not the interests of multi national tax dodging corporation’s.
Gwan Jezza!
Yet again politicians in their high towers not knowing anything about what the people want or think, it was the people who elected Corbyn. As a democratic party Labour should respect this, if they can’t then they should not be in politics, being a MP means to do the will of the people and not those who are pals, for money or for those who have the most money or have the Blairites forgotten what the term democracy means?
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