The position of Secretary General of the British Labour Party has been won by a firm ally of the party's leader Jeremy Corbyn, further cementing the left-factions hold against the "moderate centrist" faction. Jennie Formby succeeded with the overwhelming support of the newly elected National Executive Committee (NEC) has also come to be dominated by allies of the Labour leader.
Ms. Formby's candidacy was further bolstered by the withdrawal from the race of the leading candidate, Len McCluskey, a co-founder of the grassroots Labour movement Momentum which has been instrumental in mobilizing popular support for Mr. Corbyn in the face of repeated leadership challenges from many of his own fellow Labour MPs.
The new Secretary General served as director of the Unite union from 2013 to 2016 and is believed to be committed to deepening the party's reliance on grassroots campaigns such as Momentum in order to unseat Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May's Government.
Labour is expected to do well in London's upcoming council elections on May 3, with some projections showing the Conservatives losing control of all municipal councils in the capital, possibly providing the trigger for a challenge to the Prime Minister from within the Conservative Party.