Jeremy Corbyn tightens his grip on Labour ahead of conference
The reforms make it easier for a fellow left-winger to succeed Jeremy Corbyn and could increase the influence of Labour activists.
Tuesday 19 September 2017 23:29, UK
Jeremy Corbyn has secured a major victory ahead of Labour's conference next week after the party's national executive backed sweeping reforms tightening his grip.
During a marathon meeting at Labour's headquarters in London, the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) backed a move making it easier for a fellow left-winger to succeed him as party leader.
Labour's ruling body also agreed to demands from the pro-Corbyn activist group Momentum for more representatives of party members on the NEC, a major boost for the leader.
The NEC will have four extra members - three representing members and one from the unions - a move certain to boost Mr Corbyn's voting strength on the ruling body.
On leadership elections, the executive agreed to lower the number of nominations from MPs required by candidates from 15% to 10%.
When Mr Corbyn first stood for leader two years ago, he struggled to reach 15% and only got on to the ballot paper because some party grandees "lent" him a nomination.
Former cabinet minister Dame Margaret Beckett later admitted she had been "a moron" for nominating Mr Corbyn.
The lowering of the threshold is likely to make it easier for one of Mr Corbyn's preferred successors, such as Angela Rayner or Rebecca Long-Bailey, to stand for the leadership.
The 10% threshold was hailed by Mr Corbyn and his supporters as a compromise after unions opposed an earlier proposal to cut it to just 5%.
In another boost for Mr Corbyn and his left-wing allies in the party, the executive also agreed to his demand for a "democracy review" which is certain to lead to reforms that hugely increase the power and influence of left-wing Labour activists.
The "democracy review" will be conducted by his political secretary, left-wing ex-MP Katy Clark - known as "Red Katy" - who lost her seat during Labour's wipe-out in Scotland in 2015.
Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson has dismissed the view that Tuesday's NEC changes represent Mr Corbyn strengthening a left-wing hold on Labour.
Describing the party as "united and strong", he told Sky News: "I see it as a unified party giving its power back to 570,000 members, the biggest political party in western Europe.
"We're reforming for the modern age, we're ready for a General Election whenever it might happen.
"If the Government want to call one tomorrow, we're ready to go."
Mr Watson also rejected the suggestion Labour MPs would be unhappy with increasing the role of party members, highlighting how the reforms make it easier for "any candidate" to stand for leader.
He said: "This is a very good position that we've all united around, we can now move on and hold the Government to account and, let's face it, it could collapse at any moment."
Less controversially, the executive also agreed new rules to discipline party members guilty of anti-Semitism, a move many of the party's MPs claim was long overdue after several recent controversies.
But the bitter split between left and right in the party was laid bare during the executive meeting when a left-wing member of the NEC, Peter Willsman, declared during one discussion: "Some of our MPs deserve to be attacked."
The changes agreed by the executive will now be voted on at next week's party conference in Brighton.
Ms Clark's review of the party rule book will take place over the coming months and its recommendations are likely to go before next year's conference.
Speaking on his way out of the NEC meeting, Mr Corbyn said: "It's been a wonderful day, a very good NEC. A very united party looking forward to a brilliant conference, and it will be the biggest conference we've ever held. So it's been an excellent day.
"We're looking at democracy, we're looking at extending it, we've got the biggest membership we've ever had, the biggest conference we've ever had, we're winning elections, we're on the way."