Labour leadership ruling: Tom Watson vows to remain Jeremy Corbyn's deputy even if he loses court battle

Watson's position has been described as 'untenable' if the court case goes against him

Labour's deputy leader, Tom Watson (left), says Jeremy Corbyn isn't willing to discuss quitting as party leader (PA)

Tom Watson has rubbished suggestions that he could be forced out of his role as Labour’s deputy leader if the party machine loses its current court battle over leadership election rules.

A senior Labour source told The Independent that Mr Watson’s position would be “untenable” if the court ruling – which will come tomorrow – goes against him.

But a spokesman for the deputy leader said: “It’s one of those things that’s never going to happen. How do they suppose they remove him?”

Labour has fought two court battles over rules for the leadership election. In one, the party’s general secretary, Iain McNicol, with Mr Watson’s support, opposed an attempt by a Labour do not, Michael Foster, to get a judge’s ruling that would have made it almost impossible for Jeremy Corbyn to stand for re-election as party leader.

In the other, Mr McNicol is asking for an appeal court ruling that would deny 130,000 newly signed up party members an automatic right to vote in the leadership contest.

In the first court battle, the leader and deputy leader were on the same side of the argument, but in the current one Mr Corbyn has made no secret of his anger that Mr Watson persuaded the executive’s procedures committee to appeal against a ruling delivered by a judge earlier this week. A Labour source suggested that if the appeal failed, Mr Watson should resign, for wasting the party funds.

But his spokesman said: “Why should he? All he has done is support the party’s appeal on the principle that the executive sets the rules, on the same basis that he opposed the Foster action. Are they saying they were wasting money defending the executive against that action?”

Because Mr Watson was directly elected by party members and supporters, the only way he could be forced out of office would be for someone to launch a challenge next summer – but to set the challenge in motion, the challenger would need nominations from at least 51 Labour MPs or MEPs. “Could they get 51 names? I don’t think so,” Mr Watson’s spokesman said.

Mr McNicol is more vulnerable, because he is a party official appointed by the national executive, on which Mr Corbyn looks likely to have a majority by the end of Labour’s annual conference next month. Mr Corbyn and his supporters are angry with the general secretary because they think he has interpreted party rules to the leader’s disadvantage.

A party source said: “If Mr McNicol lost a vote of confidence on the executive, it would clearly be hard for him to continue but I don’t think technically they could sack him as he has the same rights as any other full time employee.

“It would obviously be ironic if he were forced to resign, because Jeremy didn’t resign when MPs said they had no confidence in him.”