Corbyn wins backing of local Labour Party members in general election headache for Starmer

Jeremy Corbyn has signalled he will stand as an independent at the next general election, setting up a tense showdown between the former Labour leader and his party.

The Islington North MP said he “loves” his job and wants to “carry on doing it” in a hint he will run against Labour’s candidate for the constituency, who is yet to be announced.

Mr Corbyn, who has represented the area since 1983, has been sitting as an independent since Sir Keir withdrew the Labour whip from him in October 2020.

He was sanctioned for saying that the scale of antisemitism in the party while he was leader was “dramatically overstated” by political opponents.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer confirmed in February that Mr Corbyn will not be allowed to stand for the party at the next general election.

The left-wing former leader has not yet said whether he would stand as an independent against an official Labour candidate, but some supporters believe he could win a contest because of strong local support.

Labour members in Islington North resolutely backed Mr Corbyn at a meeting on Wednesday night, with 98 per cent of the party supporting a motion thanking him for his service. His local party also criticised Sir Keir, suggesting Mr Corbyn’s suspension is anti-democratic.

The motion read: “This Constituency Labour Party (CLP) would like to thank our sitting MP Jeremy Corbyn for his commitment and service to the people, and want to express that it should be our democratic right to select our MP.”

Nobody in the local party spoke against the motion.

Mr Corbyn thanked members for their support, and added: “I love my job and I want to carry on doing it.”

He added: “Four million children are living in poverty. A quarter of a million people are homeless. Thousands are struggling with stress and anxiety.

“As the government creates record levels of inequality and hardship, we desperately need a political strategy that inspires people to believe in a fairer, kinder and greener world.

“I am proud to represent Islington North in Parliament. I’ve spent the past 40 years campaigning alongside my community for a redistribution of wealth, ownership and power – that is what I’ll continue to do.”

Polling guru Sir John Curtice has said it would be “very difficult” for Mr Corbyn to win Islington North as an independent. “It’s such a safe seat that the irony of that is that Mr Corbyn has to get a very large proportion of the vote to have a good chance of defeating the Labour candidate,” Sir John told GB News in March.

While Labour local parties have some degree of control over who they select as candidates, in practice the leadership exerts a significant degree of control and can effectively ban people from standing.

Sir Keir previously served on Mr Corbyn’s front bench as shadow Brexit secretary and won the leadership explicitly pledging to retain many of the policies adopted under his predecessor.

He had previously said of Mr Corbyn: “He’s a colleague, he’s a friend, and he’s led us through some really difficult times in the Labour party... I respect him and thank him for what he’s done.”