The Labour Party is preparing to deselect Jeremy Corbyn and replace him with a new candidate ahead of the next General Election.
According to reports in the Sunday Times, discussions have been held at the top of the party about how to oust the former leader from Islington North.
Corbyn, 72, has been sitting as an independent MP since October 2020, having had the whip removed after saying that allegations of antisemitism in Labour under his leadership had been “dramatically overstated”.
It is understood that he is committed to standing at the next general election, either as an independent or for Labour.
This creates a headache for party chiefs who face the prospect of having to parachute in a new candidate to contest his seat at the last minute.
Last month Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) voted against restoring the Labour whip to Corbyn in a move tha was described as “disappointing” by the former leader.
A bid by left-wing Labour officials to readmit Corbyn as an MP was defeated by 23 votes to 14 at a meeting.
In the run-up to the vote, Yasmin Dar invoked the words of Martin Luther King in support of the motion brought forward by Fire Brigades Union chief Ian Murray.
She said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Related: Sam Fender: Public were ‘groomed to hate’ Jeremy Corbyn