Jeremy Corbyn was last night at the centre of an alleged plot to plant a ‘spy’ on Labour’s ruling body when the leader steps down.
The Mail has obtained a leaked text message from Mr Corbyn urging activists to help a hard-Left crony win a seat on the party’s National Executive Committee.
They were told the aim was to retain his influence over the NEC when he loses his place on it as outgoing leader.
The message was read out at a private Labour meeting two weeks ago by close Corbyn ally Diane Abbott’s Labour ‘fixer’.
The Mail has obtained a leaked text message from Jeremy Corbyn urging activists to help a hard-Left crony win a seat on the party’s National Executive Committee. It was read out at a private Labour meeting two weeks by close Corbyn ally Diane Abbott’s Labour ‘fixer’
It prompted an angry backlash, including from some of Mr Corbyn’s own supporters, who said he had no right to meddle in the leadership election.
In the message, Mr Corbyn told Labour members to back ‘the wonderful Asima Shaikh’ for the NEC elections which are part of the post-general election party shake-up.
It makes a mockery of his pledge not to take sides in the Labour leadership election contest – and appears to confirm reports that he privately backs Left-wing MP Rebecca Long-Bailey, dubbed the ‘Continuity Corbyn’ candidate.
Miss Shaikh supports Mrs Long-Bailey and has attacked moderate rivals Lisa Nandy and Sir Keir Starmer.
She is a councillor in Islington, north London, and a close friend of local MP Mr Corbyn and wife Laura. She was among those who consoled him on election night.
The Mail has also established that Miss Shaikh’s candidacy is backed by prominent Corbyn supporter, Pete Willsman, who was suspended from the NEC last year after he was caught on tape saying Labour’s anti-Semitism crisis had been whipped up by the Israeli embassy.
There were more angry scenes when Mr Willsman told activists they would be ‘forced’ to support Miss Shaikh.
The alleged plot centres over the contest to fill two vacancies on the NEC in April – the same time as Mr Corbyn’s successor as Labour leader is decided.
In the message, Mr Corbyn told Labour members to back Asima Shaikh (pictured) a councillor in Islington, north London
Tempers flared at a meeting of the Left-wing Grassroots Alliance in London on January 14 to discuss which candidates to back.
Barry Gray – Miss Abbott’s election agent and a Corbyn cheerleader – said the outgoing party chief had a ‘strong’ view that Miss Shaikh should be on the NEC.
Despite furious protests Mr Gray read out a text message he said Mr Corbyn had asked him to deliver.
It read: ‘All the best for tonight’s meeting. Hope the wonderful Asima Shaikh gets the support she deserves for the NEC. Asima is a councillor, an innovative thinker and an enormous help and support to me and our cause.’
Staunch Corbyn supporter Alison McGarry, chairman of his Islington North Labour party, said she was ‘horrified’ by the leader’s ‘inappropriate’ meddling.
Mr Gray told objectors not to ‘jump up and down and get hostile’ and added that Mr Corbyn had a ‘strong opinion’ on getting Miss Shaikh on the NEC.
He claimed Mr Corbyn wanted a ‘direct route’ into it after he steps down as leader and would get it via his NEC ‘contact’ Miss Shaikh.
The meeting was told he had spent years ‘trying to build up the Left’ and did not want to see it all undone under a new leader.
Earlier this month, Mr Corbyn promised not to interfere in the Labour elections, stating: ‘I will not be saying who I will be voting for.’
This would appear to be at odds with his secret bid to get Long-Bailey fan Miss Shaikh on to the NEC – and use her to maintain access to and influence over it.
A Labour source said: ‘It sounds like an attempt to get a stooge on the NEC to spy on his behalf so he can carry on pulling the strings. We have always suspected Corbyn would try to maintain his grip over the party.’
Miss Shaikh recently retweeted a Twitter post calling Chancellor Sajid Javid a ‘f****** chancer’ and has endorsed Miss Abbott’s claim that Meghan Markle is the victim of racism.
On election day in December a photo of her with Mr Corbyn was posted on Twitter with the caption ‘early morning visit from the boss’. She also used Twitter to signal her support for Mrs Long-Bailey – and opposition to Sir Keir and Miss Nandy.
Mr Corbyn and Miss Abbott have been close personally and politically for decades. She is not expected to remain shadow home secretary if Sir Keir or Miss Nandy become leader.
Miss Shaikh declined to comment, but a friend said she had decided not to run for the NEC. Mr Corbyn, Miss Abbott and Mr Gray also declined to comment.
- Mrs Long-Bailey was last night on the brink of making the ballot paper in the leadership contest after she won the backing of the Unite union. It also endorsed shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon for deputy leader.
- The shadow business secretary needs the backing of one more Labour affiliate to join Sir Keir and Miss Nandy in the final round. Unite leader Len McCluskey hailed Mrs Long-Bailey as having the ‘brains and the brilliance’ to beat Boris Johnson.