THIS is a huge victory for Labour Party members and party democracy,’ John McDonnell MP, Shadow Chancellor and chair of Jeremy for Labour, said yesterday.
He was speaking following a High Court ruling that five new Labour Party members have a legal right to vote in the leadership contest between Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith. McDonnell continued: ‘The decision taken to freeze out new members since January was an affront to democracy and went against everything the party stands for. We are pleased the High Court has seen sense today by coming to the right decision.
‘We are appalled by the possibility of an unnecessary and costly appeal. If it is taken forwards, the Party will be using members’ money to try to stop members from voting. This is unacceptable.
‘I’m calling on Owen Smith to join with us in backing party members and calling on the Labour Party not to appeal and attempt to disenfranchise members. We are now calling on the Labour Party bureaucracy to act sensibly and play by the rules for the rest of this leadership election.’
Mick Whelan, ASLEF general secretary, said: ‘This is a victory for democracy, and a victory for common sense. The judge could see that the decision not to allow these five members – and the tens of thousands on whose behalf they brought this action – was wrong in principal and wrong in law.
‘We believe in democracy in this country and it is right that people who are members of the Labour Party, and not in breach of the party’s rules, should have the right to participate fully in the discussions, debates, and elections of the party. And that includes the right to elect the leader of the Labour Party, who some in the parliamentary party are doing their best to undermine.’
Delivering his judgement, Mr Justice Hickinbottom said: ‘For the party to refuse to allow the claimants to vote in the current leadership election, because they have not been members since 12 January 2016, would be unlawful as in breach of contract.’
Ballot papers are due to be sent out on 22 August, with the outcome of the leadership election scheduled for 24 September. The court’s decision could add as many as 126,592 people to the list of those eligible to vote in the contest, an expansion of about a third of the membership. Labour is to appeal the court’s ruling. The case could be heard on Thursday.