Jeremy Corbyn's day in court

Vile reports from the mainstream media have dogged Mr Corbyn's leadership

Tuesday's Jeremy Corbyn news story is complicated, sleazy and more.

Today he is in court defending his place on the leaderhip ballot.

He is the current leader of the Labour Party and as such the big question is whether he should be automatically on the ballot after MPs launched a coup to unseat him and Owen Smith put himself forward as a challenger.

The Labour Party's NEC, national executive committee, has already met and agreed Corbyn could be on the ballot without the required number of MP nominations.

But the rules are open to interpretation and one rich party donor, Michael Foster, has aleady launched a legal challenge.

Today is their day in court but a ruling is not expected until later this week.

The justice system will have to play this one carefully or it may look as if they are interfering in a major political party and thus influencing British politics.

According to the Guardian Tuesday "Leader likely to get chance to collect 51 nominations if challenge against decision to automatically put him on ballot wins."

But all of this saga following a long standing plot by some Labour MPs could result in a mass exodus from the party.

​Who is Michael Foster?

Michael Foster, whose family has given £400,000 to the Labour Party, said he was concerned over the "apparent manipulation" of party rules by the ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC).

Mr Foster, who once stood as the Labour Parliamentary candidate for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle in Cornwall, said: "I'm simply concerned that this is an important issue. It's about the rule of law.

"The advice given was certainly not given the expert consideration given by a high court judge.

"When you conduct a membership association and it has a set of rules, you cannot, in Britain, a democracy that stands or falls by application of law, bend the rules to suit a particular circumstance or particular position."

He insists his legal challenge was "not about politics" and expects the court to hear the case within days, the BBC reports.

Tom Watson, deputy leader of the Labour party, said: "This legal challenge is very unhelpful and destabilising to the Labour Party.

"The NEC made a decision. They ruled that Jeremy Corbyn is automatically on the ballot paper.

"We must respect that decision and give our members a choice of candidates as soon as possible."

​Mr Foster caused controversy in September last year for heckling Jeremy Corbyn after the party leader failed to say "Israel" at a Labour friends of Israel meeting in Brighton. Mr Foster could be heard repeatedly shouting: "Say the word Israel."

The Labour Party is currently on a hiding to nothing while the Tory government go on their merry way with a budgest slash here and a sneaky change there.

Is Michael Foster worth more than the so-called "three quidders" to the party?

What a terrible look for a left-wing political party.

Still as if to balance the party it is also being sued by some of its "ordinary" members. "Group hires law firm to challenge NEC decision that anyone who joined after 12 January can only vote if they paid £25 fee."

​Conclusion: A tangled mess becomes a tragedy.

​http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/26/high-court-to-hear-legal-case-against-labour-leadership-ballot-decision-jeremy-corbyn
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-leadership-election-vote-jeremy-corbyn-nec-candidates-angela-eagle-owen-smith-a7136056.html
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/25/labour-party-members-abuse-leadership-vote-ian-mcnicol