Jeremy Corbyn will not stand as a Labour MP at the next election, Keir Starmer will confirm at Tuesday’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting after he vowed to prove the party had changed under his leadership.
The Labour leader will propose a motion that makes it clear the party’s ruling body will not endorse Corbyn as a Labour candidate for the Westminster election expected next year.
Starmer first confirmed the move last month as he marked an “important moment” for Labour after the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) lifted the party out of special measures over its past failings on antisemitism.
In a clear mark of his growing confidence, Starmer had also invited Labour MPs who have long supported Corbyn to leave the party if they did not agree with his stance on driving out antisemitism.
At the time, Corbyn accused his successor of a “flagrant attack on the democratic rights” of Islington North party members, saying it was for them “not party leaders” to decide who their candidate should be at the next election.
However, a senior Labour source said: “Keir Starmer has made clear that Jeremy Corbyn won’t be a Labour candidate at the next general election.
“The Labour party now is unrecognisable from the one that lost in 2019. Tuesday’s vote will confirm this and ensure we can focus on our five missions to build a better Britain.”
Corbyn was suspended from Labour in October 2020 for suggesting complaints of antisemitism had been “dramatically overstated” for political reasons. His membership was later reinstated but Starmer refused to restore the party whip, meaning he sits as an independent MP.
He led the party for nearly five years, quitting after it suffered its worst election defeat in 80 years in 2019. He has not yet announced whether he will run as an independent at the next election.
The NEC has the power to endorse, or not endorse, a candidate selected for election. It is expected to back the move.
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