LABOUR has suspended some of its members following the leaking of an internal report into allegations of anti-Semitism in the party, the High Court heard today.

The 860-page report, which found "no evidence" of anti-Semitism being handled differently from other complaints and that "factional opposition" towards Jeremy Corbyn had hindered efforts to tackle the crisis, was leaked in April.

Labour is now facing legal action from one of its members over claims that party staff "sought the victory of rival parties" in key constituencies in the 2017 general election.

Mark Howell, a member of Vauxhall CLP who joined Labour in 1969, says the leaked report shows that Labour staff breached party rules by "promoting the election of rivals of party candidates."

Mr Howell claims that the party therefore "breached its contract with the claimant and its non-contractual pact with the voting public of the UK."

At a remote hearing today, Mr Howell told the court: "At stake is the democratic pact underlying the country’s political integrity and civil society.

"On the evidence, arguably a different government should have been in position ever since June 2017, the 2019 general election should not have occurred and the enactment of the result of the EU referendum should have been done in a different manner.

"The subversion of rules of democracy that has taken place is much like [...] gambling crooks paying a bent goalie to let in his team’s opponent’s goals."

Labour's barrister, Rachel Crasnow QC, told the Ms Justice Eady, sitting at the High Court, that "some of the party members have been suspended from membership so far as it is necessary to do so to protect the integrity of the investigation."