Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Jun 21, 2025

Jeremy Corbyn banned from standing as candidate for Labour party

Jeremy Corbyn banned from standing as candidate for Labour party

Labour's governing body has voted to block Jeremy Corbyn from standing as a Labour candidate at the next election.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) voted 22 to 12 to approve a motion from Sir Keir Starmer to prevent Labour endorsing Mr Corbyn. There is no right of appeal.

Mr Corbyn is suspended from being a Labour MP and sits as an independent following a row over antisemitism.

The former Labour leader called it a "shameful attack on party democracy".

In a statement, he said the decision to block him showed "contempt" for the voters who had supported the party at the 2017 and 2019 elections.

And in a hint he could run as an independent candidate in the constituency he has represented since 1983, he said he had "no intention" to stop "fighting for a fairer society on behalf of the people of Islington North".

Mr Corbyn criticised the Labour leader, claiming Sir Keir "has instead launched an assault on the rights of his own Labour members, breaking his pledge to build a united and democratic party".


'End NEC impositions'


Last month, Sir Keir announced that Mr Corbyn would not be a Labour candidate, confirming months of speculation.

The motion approved by the NEC states that allowing Mr Corbyn to stand would "significantly diminish" Labour's chances of "winning the next general election".

"It is is not in the best interests of the Labour Party for it to endorse Mr Corbyn as a Labour Party candidate at the next general election," the text of the motion says.

The NEC has the power to endorse, or not endorse, a candidate selected for election.

From 2016, Sir Keir was a key member of Mr Corbyn's shadow cabinet, speaking for the party on Brexit.


Mr Corbyn led Labour to defeat in the 2017 and 2019 general elections but remains a popular figure with many on the left of the party.

But Sir Keir suspended him as a Labour MP in 2020 after he said the scale of antisemitism within Labour had been "dramatically overstated" by his opponents, in response to a highly critical report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) into the party's handling of complaints under his leadership.

The NEC readmitted Mr Corbyn to the Labour Party as a member in November 2020 - but he is blocked from representing the party in Parliament.

The Islington North Constituency Labour Party said it "rejects the NEC's undue interference" in who it chooses as an MP.

The NEC vote "undermines our goal of defeating the Conservatives and working with our communities for social justice," the group said in a statement.

"We believe in the democratic right of all constituency parties to choose their prospective parliamentary candidate."

While running for leader of the Labour party, Sir Keir had said Labour "should end NEC impositions of candidates" on local associations, tweeting that local party members should select their candidates for every election.

Jon Lansman, the co-founder of the Corbyn-backing Momentum campaign group, accused Sir Keir of acting like an "authoritarian".

"Keir Starmer unfortunately is behaving as if he was some kind of Putin of the Labour Party. That is not the way we do politics," he told Times Radio.

However Labour's national campaign coordinator Shabana Mahmood defended the decision, saying it had "always been the case" that the NEC endorses candidates.

She said Mr Corbyn had failed to take "responsibility" for the EHRC report in 2020, and Sir Keir had made the "changes that are needed".


Antisemitism row


The EHRC launched its inquiry in May 2019, after receiving complaints about antisemitism within the party.

It found Labour had breached the Equality Act by failing to provide adequate training for staff dealing with allegations, and because of "political interference" from Mr Corbyn's office in the handling of those complaints.

Labour was ordered to draw up a plan to improve its complaints process, which it did in December 2020.

This committed the party to setting up an independent process to handle complaints, putting together a handbook for staff handling complaints, and improving training.

In February, EHRC chief executive Marcial Boo said the watchdog was now "content with the actions taken" by the party after winding up a two-year monitoring process at the end of January.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Black Box Recovered from Air India Crash Site
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Global News Roundup: From Ukraine's strategic military strikes and Russia's demands and Tensions Escalate in Ukraine, to serious legal issues faced by Britons in Bali and Trump's media criticism, the latest developments highlight a turbulent landscape
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
×