United Kingdom politics: Corbyn to contest Labour leadership

The contest was called after Angela Eagle, a former member of Corbyn’s leadership team, won sufficient backing to challenge him in the coming weeks.

Mr Corbyn – who was chosen as party leader in September with almost 60% of first preference votes – said he hoped his opponents would try to legally challenge the decision.

However, the full NEC also voted 18-14 to keep Mr Corbyn automatically on the ballot. “John McDonnell is part of the problem we have in the Labour party”, he said.

Several lawyers, including Michael Mansfield QC, have concluded that Corbyn should be automatically on the ballot, saying: “The rules are unambiguous”.

“The fact he did so shows the contempt with which he views the majority of elected Labour MPs”, said Mr Blenkinsop. If the case is heard, Foster said it would be heard “within days”.

If Labour’s ruling body had agreed, Mr Corbyn might have found himself excluded from the contest – effectively sacked as leader – because he would be unlikely to find enough MPs willing to support him.

A high-profile Labour donor is taking the party to court over its decision to give Jeremy Corbyn an automatic place on the leadership ballot.

If Mr Corbyn, who retains strong support among the rank-and-file members, is re-elected, the party may split.

Mr Smith’s announcement came amid reports the NEC had suspended all local Constituency Labour Party meetings until the end of the leadership campaign following complaints of harassment and intimidation.

“I welcome the contest ahead”, she said on Twitter.

Britain’s new finance minister, Philip Hammond, meanwhile, said the country did not need an emergency budget and he would instead monitor the economic situation over the summer before setting out spending targets as normal in the autumn.

Mr Corbyn has the support of many grassroots Labour voters and the party faces a heated battle between candidates with some people suggesting it might split. “And I am determined to win it”.

It is likely the victor will be announced at the party conference in September.

“They are being done in his name and he needs to get control of the people who are supporting him and make certain that this behaviour stops and stops now”, she told the BBC.