The plans would see party members given the power to reinstate the former leader as an MP.
Supporters of Jeremy Corbyn have drawn up an “urgent” plan that could potentially see him return as a Labour MP, as Keir Starmer faces a leftwing challenge to his leadership.
The left of the party are reportedly putting together plans to change Labour rules that would give members the final say over disciplinary action taken against MPs.
Local branches of the party are being asked to back the new plans and propose it at the upcoming Labour conference. This could create an embarrassing moment for Starmer as he tries to use the conference in Brighton to reinvigorate his leadership.
The rule change has been drawn up by the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, and states that the new proposal is needed to close a “gaping hole in the Labour party rule book” and hand more power to members.
According to the Guardian, the proposal states “the PLP [Parliamentary Labour party] is not accountable to annual conference,” and that the new measure would “require the PLP and chief whip to report directly to the conference, including on MPs’ discipline, with the conference able to confirm or reject disciplinary decisions that are of concern to delegates.”
Related links:
Lisa Nandy says Jeremy Corbyn shouldn’t be Labour MP until he apologises to Jewish community
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Starmer says Butler was right to call PM a liar, but was rightly removed from Parliament
It has been designed as a way to reinstate Starmer’s predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, who was suspended from the party last October after arguing that accusations of antisemitism within the party were “dramatically overstated for political reasons.”
Allowing issue of withdrawal of whip from Jeremy to drag on into conference is not only wrong but electorally & tactically inane. Even if Starmer wins vote at conference it highlights a party bitterly divided, turning off voters.Advice: grow up & reinstate https://t.co/eSGKRvFmPH
— John McDonnell MP (@johnmcdonnellMP) August 8, 2021
He was soon reinstated as a party member but still has not had the party whip restored in the Commons. This means that at the moment he is an independent MP.
Corbyn has said he had made “absolutely clear those who deny there has been an antisemitism problem in the Labour party are wrong.”
