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Jeremy Corbyn's lawyers are mounting a High Court battle today to keep his place in Labour's leadership race.

They will fight a bid by wealthy donor Michael Foster to stop him being on the ballot without 51 MPs' and MEPs' support.

It will be a three-way battle - because two separate legal teams are representing Mr Corbyn and the Labour Party itself.

Despite both groups being on the same side, Mr Corbyn won the right to be defended separately after a judge ruled his "personal interest" was "pressing and obvious".

Master Victoria McCloud made the ruling a week ago, saying members of Labour's ruling NEC believed Mr Corbyn could suffer a "stitch-up" by others in the party.

(Image: Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

She wrote: "It is quite clear to me from the letter of July 11 that there was a suspicion by some NEC members of an attempt to 'stitch-up' Mr Corbyn at the NEC meeting to prevent him being able to stand for election.

"Nobody before me used that expression - it was far more diplomatic than that - and of course as we now know, the outcome of the NEC meeting was one consistent with Mr Corbyn's position albeit by a relatively narrow vote."

She added it would have been better to have resolved the case before the deadline for nominations to avoid harming "the leader of the party's interests".

Mr Foster, a former parliamentary candidate, is suing general secretary Iain McNicol in his capacity representing the Labour Party .

Last week's ruling means Mr Corbyn is a co-defendant with Mr McNicol.

He was not expected to attend today's one-day High Court hearing in person.

The case, to be heard by Mr Justice Foskett, follows the decision of Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) that the incumbent leader should automatically be included in the contest.

Ballot papers will start to be sent out on August 22 with the result announced at a special conference in Liverpool on September 24.

NEC members wrestled with legal advice for six hours over whether Mr Corbyn would need to secure the backing of 20% of Labour MPs and MEPs - 51 nominations - to make it on to the ballot paper after both sides insisted the party rule book backed their case.

(Image: Getty)

Mr Foster wants to reverse the NEC's decision and is seeking a declaration that, under Labour Party rules, Mr Corbyn must obtain the requisite number of nominations before his name may appear on the ballot papers.

Mr McNicol announced a leadership election on July 11 after Wallasey MP Angela Eagle obtained the necessary number of nominations.

Ms Eagle withdrew from the race a week ago in order to back Owen Smith as a "unity candidate" to take on 67-year-old Mr Corbyn, who became leader in September last year.

Mr Smith, 46, who was elected to Parliament in 2010 as MP for Pontypridd and later promoted to Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, was one of a series of shadow cabinet members to resign over Mr Corbyn's leadership.