Over the past two years, Jeremy Corbyn's foot soldiers, led by a movement called Momentum, have transformed the Labour Party, creating an internal battle between the left and the right.

Though quieter than it once was, the civil war has not stopped.

Ground Zero of that war is Haringey in north London.

In the last fortnight, no fewer than 15 sitting councillors have been de-selected, or chosen not to stand again, because many of the thousands of new members want a more left-wing agenda.

Those councillors, like Labour councillor for Crouch End, Natan Doron, argue that Momentum have organised a purge.


Mr Doron told Sky News: "There's someone waiting for you at the door and they say here's a slate, and literally it says at the top 'if you want candidates that support Jeremy Corbyn, here's who you vote for'. I wouldn't have withdrawn from the selection process if it hadn't been nasty and unpleasant. That's not Labour values to be intimidating to your fellow party members."

Image: Haringey is an important test case

Many of the councillors who have been de-selected back the Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV) - the council's flagship housing initiative where they controversially used private sector money to develop the council's housing and estates.

The Right say the de-selections would have happened without the dispute over the scheme.

But Labour councillor for Haringey, Stuart McNamara, told Sky News any accusations of their stacking the deck are churlish.

"These are highly intelligent people who live in the local area, they know what's going on, they come from all different walks of life," he said.

"The chair of my local party is a successful lawyer. She is not going to be convinced on the basis of a leaflet... My strong view on this is that the HDV has become a Marmite test for people in that borough."

Image: Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV)

But why does any of this matter beyond Haringey?

For a start, one source from the council said if anyone thinks that the left are going to leave it at local Government then they're deluded - they're going to find out what works in terms of de-selection, what tricks they can use and then go after MPs.

But there's another sense in which Haringey is an important test case as well.

After May's local elections it's very likely that Haringey will be Britain's first and only Momentum controlled council.

It will be the first glimmer we will have of Corbynism in Government.

For their part, the Conservatives are hoping that a Momentum-controlled council in Haringey will be a repeat of the 1980s when Margaret Thatcher was able to attack Ken Livingstone's Greater London council, in which shadow chancellor John McDonnell, was a senior figure.

Momentum has told Sky News that this isn't about the left-right battle - it's about people losing their homes, and internal party democracy.

Whatever the rights and the wrongs, expect to hear more about Haringey, the centre of the Corbyn Project in his approach to both policy and party.