Rebellious Labour MPs who want to oust Jeremy Corbyn have been compared to “scab” miners by a veteran left winger as a crunch meeting of the party’s ruling committee got under way.
Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) is meeting in central London to rule on whether Mr Corbyn needs the nominations of 51 MPs and MEPs to stand in the party’s leadership contest.
Dennis Skinner, who sits on the committee, compared the 172 Labour MPs who backed a no confidence motion in Mr Corbyn to the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM), who he said supported Margaret Thatcher during the miners’ strike of the Eighties.
The MP’s comments could indicate the potential tone of the NEC meeting, with members debating conflicting legal advice on whether Mr Corbyn should automatically get on the ballot paper as a sitting leader or whether he needs to secure the same number of nominations as his challenger Angela Eagle.
Given that only 40 MPs backed Mr Corbyn over the no confidence motion, he is unlikely to receive the support needed to stand in the race if the NEC rules that he must get the nominations.
Speaking to reporters outside Labour HQ ahead of the meeting, Mr Skinner said: “There are some people in the party, especially in the Parliamentary Labour Party, that are acting like the UDM – the ones that lined up with Thatcher against the NUM.”
Asked if the rebellious MPs were “scabs”, he replied: “That’s a matter for you to interpret, you seem very plausible.”
The so-called Beast of Bolsover said it was “cut and dry” that Mr Corbyn would be able to stand in the contest.
“Because of the legal advice we’ve obtained from several different sources, it’s cut and dry and eventually we’ll sort this matter out and Jeremy will remain,” he said.
“I’m supporting Jeremy – according to the present rules he doesn’t have to get any names whatsoever.”
Mr Corbyn was mobbed by journalists as he entered the building for the meeting.
Senior Labour MP Keith Vaz, who also sits on the committee, said the leader was doing a “good job”.
He said: “We have now got a new prime minister coming in tomorrow – I think that will concentrate everyone’s minds.
“Jeremy Corbyn is the elected leader of the Labour Party.
“I saw him yesterday, he was doing a very good job yesterday.”
