Iain McNicol, general secretary of the Labour Party. Activists are seeking a rule change in order to remove him

Labour’s general secretary, Iain McNicol, is expected to become the next victim of the purge being led by Jeremy Corbyn’s hard-left allies.

Activists are expected to push for a rule change at the party’s annual conference in September that will bring in elections for the post of general secretary in an effort to remove McNicol.

In an attempt to build on Corbyn’s acclaimed general election campaign, senior figures are pursuing their long-held ambition to depose McNicol, who was accused of seeking to keep Corbyn off the ballot during the 2016 leadership challenge.

The move is part of a wider attempt to shore up Corbyn’s power base as his supporters launch a fresh push to replace the party’s deputy leader Tom Watson, a centrist, with Emily