More than 3,100 members barred from voting in Labour leadership contest
OVER 3,100 people have not been allowed to vote in Labour's leadership contest by the party.
Official figures show 3,107 members have been banned from voting in the election
Official Labour figures show 3,107 members have been barred from participating in the contest between the leader Jeremy Corbyn and challenger Owen Smith.
The figure represents less than 0.5 per cent of the 650,000-strong electorate and is published after John McDonnell. the shadow chancellor, complained of a "rigged purge" of Mr Corbyn's supporters, who he suggested were being excluded without explanation.
The majority (1,683) were blocked from voting by panels of the party's National Executive Committee, which deals with cases referred to it.
A further 434 were barred for nominating candidates from other political parties, and 990 after admitting they were members of another party.
John McDonnell claimed members were excluded without explanation
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The election is between challenger Owen Smith and leader Jeremy Corbyn
A Labour spokesman said: "The Labour Party has a robust validation process for all votes in this year's leadership contest to ensure every vote cast is eligible according to the party's rules and agreed procedures.
"The speculation that huge numbers of applicants have been denied a vote has been wildly exaggerated. Less than 0.5 per cent of the total electorate in this contest have been deemed ineligible to vote in this validation process."