Corbyn will be on Labour leadership ballot, NEC rules – as it happened

A discussion about scenarios in the event of Corbyn retaining his leadership is taking place between Diane Abbott and Sunder Katwala, director of BritishFuture.

Abbott, a key ally of the Labour leader and the shadow health secretary, rejects the suggestion that opponents of Corbyn could try to elect a new parliamentary party leader. They would have to set up a new party, she adds.

Lance Price, a former director of communications under Tony Blair, has said it’s a hollow victory for Jeremy Corbyn.

The part is going into uncharted waters, he says, although he adds that he is not as “apocalyptic” as John McTernan and other Corbyn opponents.

He believes that Corbyn can be beaten in a leadership contest. Nevertheless, he believes that the potential for the party to split is there.

A Labour MP, Paul Flynn, is calling on Angela Eagle to stand down however:

Burgon adds that a split would have taken place in the Labour Party if the NEC had “denied the democratic rights” of Labour Party members

Richard Burgon, one of Corbyn’s allies in Labour PLP, has said that it is “time to stop treating the party’s members with disrespect”.

He told BBC News that he was delighted by the NEC’s decision, which he said had put an end to an anti-democratic attempt to deny the rights of Labour members.

“If the result had been any other way it would have been morally wrong and simply unfair,” said Burgon, who said that Corbyn had won all four of the byelections that have taken place under his leadership and had raised the party’s support.

He added: “Labour has nosedived in the opinion polls since this attempted coup started. Thanks to the behaviour of some Labour MPs I am afraid... we are now seven points behind.”

Momentum, the organisation set up to build on Jeremy Corbyn’s elevation to the Labour leadership last year, has put out a new statement calling on Ben Bradshaw to withdraw his claim that it is encouraging its supporters to intimidate MPs. (See 5.32pm.)

Ben Bradshaw’s comments are unsubstantiated slurs. Momentum are not thugs but ordinary people building a movement for a better society. Momentum has never called for intimidation.

If we receive allegations of intimidation by one of our members, we will investigate them according to our complaints procedures and in accordance with our code of ethics. There is no place in politics for harassment and nor for unsubstantiated, politicised slurs.

We call on Bradshaw to withdraw his slurs against Jeremy Corbyn, Momentum and ordinary Labour members.

Corbyn’s opponents in the parliamentary party are also stepping up their campaign now too. There was this from Rachel Reeves in the last few minutes

John McTernan, Tony Blair’s Director of Political Operations from 2005 to 2007, has also come out with some extremely strong words against the NEC decision in the meantime.

Its vote was a vote “to kill the Labour Party,” he’s just told BBC News.

The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, has been quick out of the blocks in the last few minutes meanwhile in making this appeal to Labour members (including MPs no doubt) who are disillusioned with their leader:

The Labour leadership contest has not even taken place and talk has turned to the possibility of a split in the party, a scenario which some commentators suggest is more likely if Corbyn wins.

The Spectator’s James Forsyth writes that a Corbyn victory in any leadership contest would spell the end of the party as a “serious force”.

This is a massive victory for Corbyn and his wing of the party. He is now favourite to win this leadership election and if he does, the 172 Labour MPs who voted no confidence in him will either have to shut up or split off and form their own party.

Crucially, if they leave after Corbyn has won again, it will be Corbyn and the hard left who will be left in possession of the Labour name and the party apparatus. This will mean that any new party that Labour MPs form will face a huge challenge to make itself electorally competitive by 2020.

Q. How can you hope to persuade the majority of your MPs who don’t think you are up to it?

A. I am sure that Labour MPs will understand that the party has to come together. I have been elected 10 months ago with a very large mandate.

Corbyn adds he hopes that there will not be a legal challenge. There was a very long discussion today about the process, he says.

Corbyn then spoke to a woman who appeared to be a supporter, before shaking hands with others and leaving.

Q. What about your competence as leader?

A. I am reaching out to everyone in our party so that all the talents can be used and I say to anyone who has any disagreements to come and speak about it.

Jeremy Corbyn has just emerged from Labour headquarters, to the sound of supporters chanting his name.

He tells the press that he is delighted with the result and that he will be campaigning on inequality and poverty - “all the things that matter”. There’s a few questions now...

Caroline Flint, an MP and one of Jeremy Corbyn’s most outspoken critics inside the Labour party, has been speaking to Sky News in the wake of the NEC vote. Asked if the Labour party was likely to split in future, she replied: “We’ll have to cross that bridge if we come to it.”

She insisted though that she did not want the party to split.

So – barring the decision being challenged in the courts (which is a strong possibility in the eyes of many) Corbyn will face Angela Eagle and perhaps also Owen Smith in a Labour leadership contest.

The Guardian’s Anushka Asthana has an early heads-up on the reaction from Eagle:

Not everyone fancies her chances :

Then again:

Here’s the party statement following the NEC decision:

The NEC has agreed that as the incumbent leader, Jeremy Corbyn will go forward on to the ballot without requiring nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party and the European Parliamentary Labour Party.

All other leadership candidates will require nominations from 20% of the PLP and EPLP.