Plans for a female-only deputy Labour leader post have been shelved after fears among Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters that the job would be used to undermine him.
The idea had won the surprise backing of the party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) at the weekend and the conference in Liverpool had been due to vote on the proposal on Tuesday afternoon.
A flurry of speculation suggested that Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner, Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey or Shadow Equalities Minister Dawn Butler would all be urged to run for the new post.
Current deputy leader Tom Watson had backed the idea, despite suspicions that it had been intended to dilute his own role.
But in a dramatic development, the local constituency party that had tabled the plan decided to withdraw its motion on the floor of the conference, killing off any chance of a vote on it.
Some activists had hoped that the race would have produced a deputy leader who explicitly backed a new Brexit referendum and pile pressure onto Corbyn on the issue by having a direct mandate from members.
Angela Marincowitz-Skillen, of Wirral West constituency party, said that she had decided to ‘remit’ the motion in a bid to avoid moves to destabilise Corbyn and his leftwing direction for the party.
“There have been some disturbing reports that this rule change has widespread support because those who want to divide our party and undermine Jeremy Corbyn want to use this as a way to do it,” Marincowitz-Skillen said.
“Making an election of another deputy leader about Brexit, a new centre party or whatever project they think up to sow disunity. I want to say to those people, the membership and voters are sick of this sectarian game.”
Only two women have been deputy Labour leaders, Margaret Beckett and Harriet Harman, and the Wirral West motion proposed the creation of two deputy leaders, with the proviso that “at least one deputy must be a woman”.
“We can use this election for a new deputy leader as a vehicle for division or as a vehicle for unity which will strengthen our team as we go into the next general election,” Marincowiz-Skillen said, to loud applause from the conference hall.
“This [general] election could happen any day now. So on that basis we would like to remit our motion to allow the NEC to look at both positions being elected together and maximise support for Jeremy Corbyn.”
Rayner told the BBC’s Newsnight on Monday that she would only run for the post if it helped her constituents and helped Jeremy Corbyn to become Prime Minister.
She also stressed that she was a ‘pragmatist’ and “I don’t like factions” in the party.
HuffPost understands that senior figures in the party had expected Emily Thornberry and Long-Bailey to stay out of the race, with Rayner and Butler seen as the two main contenders.
Watson said he was disappointed at the decision which he blamed on ‘hard left’ group the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, which had urged its members to vote against the plan on Tuesday morning.
Among those in the conference who applauded the decision to remit the motion were Momentum founder Jon Lansman.
But the decision faced a backlash from moderates, including MPs such as Yvette Cooper and Jess Philips.
And former North West region director Sheila Murphy added her disappointment.
Others, including former Downing Street staffer Theo Bertram, had their own theories.
However, some party insiders claimed that the result was one Watson had ultimately wanted.
“They’ve totally played into Tom’s hands,” said one.
An alternative motion, opposed by the NEC and therefore unlikely to get backing of conference, proposed that at least one of the two posts of leader and deputy leader should be occupied by a woman.
It wanted the change to apply after a 2020 general election or sooner if a vacancy arose.
HuffPost understands that during the NEC meeting on Saturday, few expected Watson to back the female deputy plan.
NEC chair Andy Kerr jokingly introduced the item, stating “Do you have anything you want to declare Tom?”
At which point Watson said ‘Yes’, before launching into an impassioned speech backing gender equality. The NEC then backed the plan.