Momentum candidate finally makes NEC ballot after switching CLP

Rhea Wolfson, the Momentum-backed candidate for Labour’s governing body, will be on the ballot paper, party sources have confirmed ahead of Friday’s nomination deadline.

Wolfson today said she was looking forward to making the “positive case for a socialist Britain and a democratic Labour Party”.

Wolfson was a late entry to the race, replacing Ken Livingstone on the left wing slate following his suspension over controversial remarks about Hitler and Zionism. While she quickly gained support from over 80 constituency Labour parties (CLPs), it looked as though her bid was over after failing to secure the nomination of her home CLP, in line with party rules.

As first reported on LabourList, Wolfson then changed her party membership from being based in Eastwood to Almond Valley, where she says she spends more of time and is a more active campaigner.

But her bid faced another setback last week, despite winning the nomination from her new CLP. Concerns were raised with the party about the appropriateness of her constituency switch, which led to the party looking into the situation. It appeared there had been no resolution by Friday, with the party failing to update its public list of nominations that would have confirmed whether or not she was eligible for the ballot.

Sources have now confirmed that the party was “satisfied” that Wolfson is on the electoral register in Almond Valley, and therefore meets the criteria needed to possess membership in the seat. However, steps may be taken to ensure that in the future the “spirit” as well as the letter of the rules are applied.

Wolfson said: “I’m delighted to be confirmed as a candidate in the NEC election. I look forward to putting forward a positive case for a socialist Britain and a democratic Labour Party.”

A spokesperson for Momentum also greeted the news today, saying: “Momentum is delighted Rhea is on the ballot paper. She is a fantastic candidate and with 82 CLP nominations, there’s clearly a big demand for her to be on the NEC.”

With the perceived shift to the left that led to the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader last year, a large victory for the Momentum/Centre Left Grassroots Alliance slate had been expected in the all-member vote, but current CLP nominations put them close to the Progress/Labour First-backed candidates. You can read my latest analysis on the NEC race here.