The Labour Party could face a bill in the region of £4,000,000 for a legal case against Corbyn-era insiders, with the trial not due to take place until the second half of 2024 – right before a potential election. So far, the party has coughed up £503,260 in a suit against five ex-staffers, including Corbyn’s Chief of Staff Karie Murphy and Seamus Milne. The legal action was launched by Labour in response to the 2020 leaking of an internal report on antisemitism – with the staffers the prime suspects. Labour can’t be sure though… three investigations failed to identify the source of the leak.

According to The Guardian, the £503,260 relates to a failed hearing to try and access Karie Murphy’s emails – for which an appeal was denied – whilst the party was this month ordered by the High Court to stump up £90,000 for Murphy’s legal costs. Labour have also paid out £99,108 dealing with an application by the staffers to have the suit throw out and £103,626 in an anonymity application for those named in the report. A pro-Starmer NEC member described the case as a “monumental waste of members’ and affiliates’ money” pursuing a “pointless political vendetta”.