Contrary to reports in some media, Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) will vote tomorrow on a motion that would remove the party’s barnacle-like deputy leader Tom Watson – by removing the deputy leader post altogether.

The NEC chair had ruled the motion out of order and a vote to rule it in did not achieve the required two-thirds majority. However, a procedural motion was tabled to add it to the NEC’s pre-conference meeting scheduled for tomorrow. That motion required – and easily achieved – only a simple majority. Rebecca Long-Bailey and Diane Abbott were reportedly among its supporters.

Tomorrow’s meeting will therefore likewise require only a simple majority to remove Watson – who has consistently refused to put his mandate to the test before a membership of which a majority is likely to be deeply unhappy with his conduct.

There appears to be a high degree of confidence that this will be achieved even if all thirty-eight current NEC members attend to vote. If it passes, the motion will then be voted on by Labour’s conference to ratify or reject it – the conference arithmetic is likely to result in its ratification.

Watson did not attend the meeting.

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