Corbyn blocked from being a Labour candidate – will he now stand as an independent?
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been officially blocked from standing as a candidate for the Labour Party at the next general election.
Labour’s governing body, the (NEC), today agreed to prevent Corbyn standing for the party in future elections.
Leader Sir Keir Starmer proposed a motion for the party not to endorse his predecessor as a candidate, which the committee passed 22-12.
A senior Labour source told the PA news agency: “The Labour Party now is unrecognisable from the one that lost in 2019… we can focus on our five missions to build a better Britain.”
Corbyn, who now represents Islington North as an independent, was suspended and had the Labour whip removed back in October 2020 after refusing to accept the findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) into Labour antisemitism under his leadership.
It is not yet known whether the former party leader would stand as an independent MP, which would see his membership revoked along with those of any members who helped him campaign.
The Islington North MP tweeted a statement, calling the NEC decision “a shameful attack on party democracy, party members and natural justice”.
In an apparent hint at plans to stand as an independent candidate, Corbyn said: “I will not be intimidated into silence.
“I have spent my life fighting for a fairer society on behalf of the people of Islington North, and I have no intention of stopping now.”
The Times reported that there could be an announcement “as soon as this week” on whether he will stand as an independent.
Following today’s vote, a spokesperson for the Islington North Labour Party said: “We reject the NEC’s undue interference in Islington North, which undermines our goal of defeating the Conservatives and working with our communities for social justice.”