Jeremy Corbyn attempts to delay giving Scotland and Wales more seats on Labour NEC

Jeremy Corbyn - credit: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire/Press Association Images

Jeremy Corbyn will today make a new attempt to delay rule changes which would give Scotland and Wales more seats on Labour's ruling National Executive Committee.

The NEC was expected to meet at 7.30am at Labour's annual conference in Liverpool to discuss the plans.

Under the proposals - which were backed by the NEC last week - the leaders of Scottish and Welsh Labour would each be able to appoint one member to the NEC.

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But the Labour leader fears this would give his opponents a guaranteed majority on the NEC and wants party members in Scotland and Wales to elect the new representatives instead.

At an NEC meeting on Saturday night - just hours after he was resoundingly re-elected Labour leader - Corbyn was defeated in an attempt to delay a vote on the changes until next year's party conference.

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale told him: "How dare you preach unity and then try to undermine me as Scottish leader.”

PoliticsHome understands that Corbyn and his allies spent yesterday putting pressure on the GMB to support his position, in a move which could help tip the balance in his favour if it goes to a vote at this morning's meeting.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey yesterday gave a clear hint that his union will back Mr Corbyn.

He said: "We believe there should be a seat for Scotland and Wales, but we believe it should be an elected seat, so there is a slight confusion about what 'appointed by the leader' means.

"It's placed us in a difficult situation because most of the rule changes going through we support."