Labour’s general secretary Iain McNicol has resigned after nearly seven years in the post.
The former union boss will “pursue new projects on behalf of the party and wider Labour movement”, he said in a statement released late on Friday.
HuffPost UK has been told that Unite’s Jennie Formby is being tipped by insiders as the favourite to succeed him in the job.
The officers of the party will meet to decide the process for the election of a successor in coming weeks.
A spokesman said that McNicol would work with NEC officers to deliver “a smooth and proper transition ensuring that the Labour Party remains on an election footing”.
McNicol was appointed to his post by Ed Miliband in 2011 and is the second longest serving general secretary after Larry Whitty.
His departure means that there are now few pre-Corbyn era senior staffers left working at the party’s HQ.
Former elections supremo Patrick Heneghan stood down last year.
The former GMB union official has long been criticised by Jeremy Corbyn supporters after the party took legal action to counter moves to widen the franchise for the leadership election in 2016.
A court case was brought against him when the NEC decided to bar new party members from voting in Corbyn’s second leadership ballot. The claimants won their case in the High Court, but the decision was overturned after a successful appeal overseen by McNicol.
His critics also blame him for the ‘purge’ of left-wing activists, although it was the party’s ruling NEC disputes panel that leads on disciplinary action, and on the suspension of local parties where irregularities are alleged to have taken place.
Jeremy Corbyn said: “I would like to personally thank Iain McNicol for his long and dedicated service to the Labour Party as General Secretary.
“He has run our party’s organisation at a time of great change, including a near tripling of the membership, two general elections and the EU referendum.
“Iain has served the Labour Party and trade union movement in a wide range of roles throughout his career and is a credit to our movement. I am confident Iain will continue to play a major role in politics and our party, and will support our team inside and outside Parliament with his experience and skills.”
McNicol said in a statement: “It’s been an absolute honour and a privilege to serve as General Secretary of the Labour Party. I have now decided to move on to pursue new challenges in the service of the Labour Party and wider labour movement.
“I would like to thank our fantastic staff across the country for their brilliant work and support. A team who continuously go above and beyond to deliver for Labour. It has been a tumultuous seven years including; two general elections, a huge increase in our membership, Scottish and EU referendums.
“It is a hugely exciting time for the Labour Party after we achieved the biggest increase in our vote since 1945 at last year’s general election. I will continue to support Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership and will work closely with him and our whole parliamentary team to take Labour to victory at the next general election.”
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