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Labour was today rocked by a major row on the eve of its annual conference over attempts to deny Sadiq Khan a star speaking slot.

The key conference committee has said the Mayor should be allowed to address the party faithful. This puts it at odds with Labour’s governing body, the National Executive Committee, which just 24 hours earlier did not back Mr Khan to give a prized speech.

The decision could go down to the wire — and might even be decided by a vote of delegates at the party’s Brighton conference, which starts on Sunday.

Labour insiders suggested it was also technically possible for Jeremy Corbyn to intervene personally against Mr Khan. Some of those loyal to the Labour leader want the ban to remain after the Mayor’s “disloyal” comments from the conference’s main stage last year.

However, Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter said: “Sadiq should obviously be speaking as the most senior Labour person in government in England. And as the person in the most successful region electorally with the biggest personal mandate.”

Party chiefs are seeking to give delegates at conference a greater say in the proceedings, dramatically reducing the number of speakers from the main stage. Mr Corbyn, shadow chancellor John McDonnell, shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry, shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer are expected to speak. Health spokesman Jon Ashworth, education spokeswoman Angela Rayner and deputy leader Tom Watson will also get slots.

A source close to the Mayor said: “Sadiq is happy either way. It’s great if he can give a speech to Labour members — he’d better start writing one. But we don’t want this to be a distraction from the big issues being addressed at conference. We haven’t heard officially from the party.”

At a six-hour meeting on Tuesday, the NEC decided to stick to the agenda without giving Mr Khan a slot. There were concerns they would also have to give one to Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and Liverpool’s Steve Rotheram, resulting in a male-heavy line-up.

There were also worries about giving another London politician the chance to make a speech, when five of the eight leading Labour figures with speaking slots have constituencies in the city.

A source in the leader’s office said: “This isn’t personal. There is a desire to give members more time to speak and debate.”

But the decision was a rare moment of division in what was described by insiders as an otherwise business-like meeting, with union representatives and at least one MP speaking out in favour of the Mayor.

Labour’s Conference Arrangements Committee, a more moderate group, ruled yesterday that Mr Khan should get a slot, putting it at loggerheads with the NEC. There are not thought to be any plans for the NEC to discuss the issue at meetings tomorrow or over the weekend, meaning the CAC’s recommended line-up will go before conference on Sunday morning.

Delegates can then vote to amend, reject, accept or refer back the decision, putting the ball firmly in Mr Corbyn’s court. A spokesman for the Labour leader told the Standard: “We are a democratic party and respect the procedures of conference.”

However, pressure was mounting from MPs and other senior party figures to guarantee Mr Khan’s slot after his election victory in London last year.

Ilford North MP Wes Streeting, chairman of the London Group of Labour MPs, has warned that failing to do so would be a “terrible snub”.

Karen Buck, MP for Westminster North, told the Standard: “I understand the feeling that conference should give as many opportunities for ordinary members to speak as possible, and sometimes there’s a tension when the whole frontbench stands up to speak. But I do feel that our city mayors are the absolute triumphs of recent elections and have a great deal to say about how we can transform Britain while we’re waiting for an opportunity to do so nationally.”

Len Duvall, who chairs the London Labour party, said: “Sadiq is a good example of Labour in power and how we would set out implementing our policies, who can speak credibly about air quality, about working through the complex issues of solving the housing crisis... he should be deployed at conference.”

Mr Khan still faces anger from some Labour figures who feel that he was publicly disloyal to Mr Corbyn at last year’s rally in Liverpool. The Mayor prompted criticism from Corbyn loyalists when he sat blank-faced while his party leader praised him for his mayoral election victory. He had angered some with own his speech earlier that week when he stressed the importance of Labour in power “not just talking the talk, but walking the walk too”.

One told the Standard: “There is no reason why Sadiq Khan should be given prime-time at conference when he was downright disloyal when given the opportunity last year.”

Former mayor Ken Livingstone, who is currently suspended from the party, said: “If he wants to speak, he can be called up as a delegate and get the five minutes that other delegates get. If you’re the Mayor of London you can get a mega-platform any time you want.”

Sir Keir Starmer told the Standard: “Sadiq is a really significant and important voice.” But he added: “It’s a matter for Jeremy and his team how they want to run conference.”