Jeremy Corbyn will not stand as a Labour candidate at next election says Starmer
Jeremy Corbyn will not be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate at the next election, Keir Starmer has confirmed.
In an explosive move, the Labour leader said he was banning his predecessor from contesting his Islington North seat under the party's banner.
Mr Corbyn accused Mr Starmer of a "flagrant attack on the democratic rights of Islington North party members".
The ex-Labour leader says it's for them "not party leaders" to decide who their candidate should be at the next election.
Mr Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party in October 2020 for suggesting complaints of anti-Semitism had been "dramatically overstated" for political reasons.
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His comments came in response to a damning report by the equalities watchdog over handling of complaints of anti-Jewish hate in the party.
Mr Corbyn's membership was later reinstated but Mr Starmer refused to restore the party whip, meaning Mr Corbyn sits as an independent MP.
Jeremy Corbyn (Newcastle Chronicle)Mr Starmer confirmed his decision at a speech in east London following the news that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) had taken Labour out of special measures.
The EHRC has been monitoring the party for two years following Labour's "day of shame" in October 2020 when it found the party had breached the Equality Act.
Asked about Mr Corbyn, he said: "Let me be very clear about that Jeremy Corbyn will not stand for Labour at the next general election as a Labour candidate.
"What I said about the party changing, I meant. We are not going back and that is why Jeremy Corbyn will not stand as a Labour candidate at the next general election."
Labour leader Keir Starmer said the party had changed under his leadership (Getty Images)Mr Corbyn will now be forced to stand as an independent candidate if he wants to fight to retain the seat he has held for nearly 40 years.
The move will reignite tensions with the Corbynite wing of the Labour party, where some feel Mr Corbyn was treated unfairly.
It also sets up a potentially explosive battle for the safe north London seat, which Mr Corbyn has represented since 1983 and where he commands significant local support.
Mr Corbyn has not said whether he will run as an independent. He has previously called for the whip to be reinstated.
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It is understood that he was reluctant to stand against Labour as it would likely mean he was kicked out of the party completely.
Bookies have the former Labour leader at 7/4 odds to stand and win a seat as an Independent MP at the next general election.
But one of Mr Corbyn's closest allies Diane Abbott told The News Agents podcast he has "no intention of standing as an independent".
In a statement published this evening, he did not mention whether he would run as an independent.
The full statement said: "Ever since I was elected as a Labour MP 40 years ago, I have found on behalf of my community for a more equal, caring and peaceful society.
"Day in day out, I am focused on the most important issues facing people in Islington North: poverty, rising rents, the healthcare crisis, the safety of refugees, and the fate of our planet.
“Keir Starmer’s statement about my future is a flagrant attack on the democratic rights of Islington North Labour Party members. It is up to them - not party leaders - to decide who their candidate should be.
"Any attempt to block my candidacy is a denial of due process, and should be opposed by anybody who believes in the value of democracy.
"At a time when the government is overseeing the worst cost-of living crisis in a generation, this is a divisive distraction from our overriding goal: to defeat the Conservative Party at the next General Election.
"I am proud to represent the Labour movement in Parliament through my constituency. I am focused on standing up for workers on the picket line, the marginalised, and all those worried about their futures.
"That is what I'll continue to do. I suggest the Labour Party does the same."
Momentum, the grassroots activists network who backed Mr Corbyn's leadership, said Labour members should decide their candidate.
"Labour is a democratic socialist party - it's written on our membership cards," a spokesman said.
"This Party does not belong to one man alone - it belongs to its members & trade unions.
"It should be for Labour members in Islington North to decide their candidate - that is their democratic right."
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