Jeremy Corbyn supporters cannot appeal Labour leadership ruling

Labour's ruling body has won its challenge against a High Court decision allowing new party members to vote in the upcoming leadership election

(PA)

The Court of Appeal has refused Corbyn supporters permission to appeal today's Labour leadership ruling.

Labour's ruling body has won its challenge against a High Court decision allowing new party members to vote in the upcoming leadership election.

The outcome is a blow to Jeremy Corbyn’s battle to remain Labour leader, as the majority of those who have recently joined the party are expected to support him over rival Owen Smith.

Iain McNicol, the party's general secretary, asked the Court of Appeal to reinstate a block imposed by Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) on nearly 130,000 recruits getting the vote.

The NEC decided on a “freeze date” of 12 July, meaning full members would not be able to vote if they had not had continuous party membership for six months before that date.

It banned anyone who had joined the party after 12 January from voting unless they paid an extra £25.

But five of those affected challenged the move and accused the NEC of unlawfully “freezing” them out of the leadership contest despite them having “paid their dues”.

Lawyers for the five - Christine Evangelou, the Rev Edward Leir, Hannah Fordham, Chris Granger and “FM”, a teenage member - had argued that the NEC had no power under the rules to retrospectively freeze a full member's ability to vote in leadership elections.

They say approximately 150,000 individuals joined the party between January 12 and July 12 and their ability to vote is at stake.

Representatives of the NEC said the move was permitted by the party's rulebook, citing several sections in the Court of Appeal.