Candidates who wish to stand for Labour at the next election will be given the right to appeal if the party rejects their bid to become an MP, Sky News can reveal.
Labour has faced accusations of fixing parliamentary selections for candidates who are preferred by the leadership while using “due diligence” checks to bar others for political reasons and on spurious grounds – a charge the party has denied.
It comes after it was again confirmed that former leader Jeremy Corbyn will not be allowed to even seek the Labour nomination ahead of the next general election – meaning this right to appeal will not apply to him.
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Sky News asked Jeremy Corbyn whether he’s thinking of standing as an independent MP
Sir Keir Starmer will propose a motion today that will make clear that the party’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), will not endorse his predecessor to fight for his Islington North seat.
The Labour leader’s office maintains that stringent checks are needed to ensure only high-quality candidates are allowed to stand for parliament following a series of past controversies involving MPs – including Jared O’Mara, who was recently jailed for making fraudulent expenses claims to fund an “extensive” cocaine habit while in office.
However, critics have pointed to examples where they claim due diligence checks have been selectively applied.
In one high-profile case, the chair of Labour North West, Leigh Drennan, was blocked from standing as a party candidate over due diligence concerns, despite receiving the support of deputy leader Angela Rayner and a number of trade unions.
However, Barking and Dagenham council leader Darren Rodwell was able to proceed with and win his selection despite having joked about having the “worst tan possible for a Black man” at a Black History event. Mr Rodwell was later cleared by the party’s ruling body after an apology.
Under the new system, which was championed by trade unions, candidates will be provided with written feedback as to why they “fell below the standards expected of a Westminster parliamentary candidate”, while an appeals panel will be convened to hear the claim.
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The proposal will be formally agreed on with a vote at the NEC on Tuesday.
A Labour source said: “It’s right that the Labour Party expects prospective MPs to uphold the highest standards.
“This proposal mirrors what we do in council selections and disciplinary cases and is eminently reasonable.
“We expect the addition of an appeals mechanism to get wide support from the NEC as part of the robust standards that the party has set.”
A spokesperson for left-wing group Momentum said: “We welcome this concession won by Labour’s affiliated trade unions.
“By changing its process halfway through, Labour has implicitly admitted that ‘due diligence’ has often been a cover for factional intrigue, as Momentum has relentlessly exposed.”