Labour leadership election could be halted if Jeremy Corbyn loses court case

credit Labour screengrab

​Jeremy Corbyn will call for the Labour leadership contest to be put on hold if he loses a court case today challenging the decision to put him automatically on the ballot paper, it is understood.

The potential dramatic move was discussed by members of the Procedures Committee of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) last week.

Lawyers for Labour donor Michael Foster will today argue that the NEC was wrong to rule that Corbyn did not need the backing of 51 MPs and MEPs to become a candidate in the leadership contest.

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The party leader is up against former shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith, with the winner due to be announced on 24 September.

However, the whole process could be thrown into chaos if Foster wins his legal case at the High Court, which seeks to overturn the NEC's decision of two weeks ago.

After a heated six-hour debate, the ruling body decided by 18 votes to 14 that Mr Corbyn should automatically be a candidate in the leadership contest.

But it is understood that at the Procedures Committee meeting last week, those in attendance – including former Labour interim leader Margaret Beckett and deputy leader Tom Watson – were told Corbyn wanted to call a halt to the process if today's court case goes against him.

A source close to Corbyn said: "The nominations have closed, so if Michael Foster were to win the legal case, then we would have a coronation for Owen Smith. It would make the whole thing a farce.

"It would be legally questionable if the NEC, having said that Jeremy should be on the ballot paper, if he is then not on it. It would be in the NEC's interests to re-open nominations at the very least."

Meanwhile, in a separate legal action, it has also emerged that a group of Labour members is taking the party to court over its decision to bar 130,000 people from voting in its upcoming leadership election.

The move comes after the NEC ruled that only members who joined the party before 12 January will be able to cast a ballot in the leadership race.

Those who joined the party since that date were given a 48-hour window to pay £25 to become a so-called 'registered supporter' to be able to vote in the contest.