Ballots of resigned members count if they voted before quitting, says Labour

Labour has confirmed to internal election candidates that the votes of members who have resigned from the party will be counted as long as they quit after casting their ballots, LabourList can reveal.

Concerns had been raised by some Starmersceptic activists that the party would discount the votes of members who quit the party in protest at Keir Starmer’s leadership or the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn.

But Labour’s ballots team has informed national executive committee (NEC) and Young Labour candidates today, ahead of results in the crucial contests being released on Friday, that this would not be the case.

The party has said it considers those who voted when they were members to be eligible, while those who resigned from the Labour Party and only voted subsequently would not have a say in the internal elections.

With 15 Labour NEC posts being decided, and a further 28 Young Labour positions, candidates were also warned that full results are not expected “until relatively late in the afternoon on Friday at the earliest”.

Voting closed at midday today in Labour’s internal elections, which could see the factional balance of power change both on the party’s national ruling body and at the top of its official youth wing.

Below is the full text of the email sent to candidates.

To NEC and Young Labour candidates.

Dear all,

As you will be aware, the ballot for this year’s internal elections closed at noon today. We hope you are all now managing to get some well-earned rest.

As there are a large number of contests, we do not expect we will have full results until relatively late in the afternoon on Friday at the earliest. We will obviously keep you posted as the situation develops, so please do keep an eye on your emails.

We are aware that there has been speculation as to the eligibility of those who have recently resigned from the Labour Party to participate in the current ballot. We hope the information below will reassure you as to the integrity of the process:

• Those who voted when they were members, but resigned subsequently, remain eligible. Their votes will therefore be counted.
• Those who resigned from the Labour Party, but voted subsequently, are not eligible. Their votes will therefore be cancelled prior to the votes being counted.

Please let us know if you have any questions prior to the results being announced.

Thanks,

Ballots Team