Sir Keir Starmer kills off Jeremy Corbyn’s chances of being a Labour candidate at General Election

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (PA Archive)
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (PA Archive)

Sir Keir Starmer will on Tuesday deliver the final blow to Jeremy Corbyn’s chances of standing for Labour at the next general election warning if he is a candidate it risk hitting Labour’s chances of victory.

At a meeting of the party’s ruling body, Sir Keir will put forward a motion saying it will not endorse Islington North MP Mr Corbyn as a candidate at the next election.

Ahead of the meeting of the National Executive Committee, a senior Labour source said: “Keir Starmer has made clear that Jeremy Corbyn won’t be a Labour candidate at the next general election.

“The Labour Party now is unrecognisable from the one that lost in 2019. Tuesday’s vote will confirm this and ensure we can focus on our five missions to build a better Britain.”

Even if the Islington North Labour party backed Mr Corbyn to be its candidate, the selection would still need the endorsement of the NEC.

The motion argues that “to maximise the Labour’s prospects of winning the next general election” and to avoid any “detrimental impact on the Labour Party’s standing with the electorate in the country as a whole” , the party’s interests “are not well served” by Mr Corbyn running as a Labour Party candidate.

It adds: “ Accordingly, this meeting resolves that Mr Corbyn will not be endorsed by the NEC as a candidate on behalf of the Labour Party at the next general election.”

The party’s General Secretary will write to Mr Corbyn “immediately after this meeting” to advise him of the ruling body’s decision, according to the motion which is expected by be agreed.

Mr Corbyn would still be a Labour member and retain rights to attend party meetings, with voting rights under its rule book remaining unchanged.

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