If Corbyn were to stand as an independent, he would most likely be thrown out of the Labour Party, while other members who support him could also be suspended or sacked for backing him.

Starmer announced last month that he was determined that Corbyn would not be a Labour candidate, confirming months of speculation. The motion he put forward stated that allowing Corbyn to stand would “significantly diminish” Labour’s chances of “winning the next general election”.

“It is not in the best interests of the Labour Party for it to endorse Mr Corbyn as a Labour Party candidate at the next general election,” the text of the motion said.

Corbyn led Labour to defeat in the 2017 and 2019 general elections, forcing the ruling Conservatives into a minority government but then suffering a loss of 59 seats, the second-highest loss by any opposition for a century, against Boris Johnson.

Starmer was a key member of Corbyn’s shadow cabinet from 2016, serving as Brexit spokesman.

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The Equality and Human Rights Commission launched an inquiry into Labour’s internal culture under Corbyn in May 2019, after receiving complaints about anti-semitism within the party. It found Labour had breached the Equality Act by failing to provide adequate training for staff dealing with allegations and of “political interference” from Corbyn’s office in the handling of those complaints.

Labour was ordered to draw up a plan to improve its complaints process, which it did in December 2020.

Corbyn’s Islington North branch said in a statement it rejected “undue interference” from the party’s leadership in whom it chooses as an MP, saying the executive committee’s vote “undermines our goal of defeating the Conservatives and working with our communities for social justice”.

The group said in a statement: “We believe in the democratic right of all constituency parties to choose their prospective parliamentary candidate.”

In a statement following the decision, the Corbyn-aligned Momentum faction accused Starmer of acting like an “authoritarian”, condemning the move as a “venal and duplicitous act” and “a dark day for democracy”.

But Shabana Mahmood, a Labour MP and the party’s national campaign co-ordinator, called the move a “clear demonstration” of the current leadership making changes “to make sure that we can win the trust of the British people again”.

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