LABOUR’s national executive committee (NEC) announced today that an investigation into a leaked report detailing internal sabotage of the party’s election efforts under Jeremy Corbyn will conclude in mid-July.

A party spokesperson said that the NEC agreed the terms of reference for the “independent investigation into the circumstances, contents and release of an internal report.”

The NEC will meet “again in due course” to appoint a lead role for the investigation and the already-agreed terms of reference will be published as soon as possible, they added.

The meeting, held via video-link because of the coronavirus, was the first under new leader Sir Keir Starmer, who said he wanted the investigation to be “swift.”

After the meeting concluded, his spokesperson said that the investigation should endeavour to deliver its report by mid-July.

Labour said officials were working with the Information Commissioner’s Office over the leak and insisted the party took its responsibility on data protection “extremely seriously.”

The Socialist Campaign Group, which includes former frontbenchers John McDonnell and Diane Abbott, is urging the NEC to concentrate on the substance of the allegations laid out in the report, rather than the process by which it was leaked.

The report was leaked to the media over the Easter weekend.

Emails and WhatsApp chat messages exposed party HQ senior staff using abusive and bullying language against left-wing staff, MPs, the former leadership and Mr Corbyn’s supporters ahead of the 2017 general election.

Staff discussed doing no work “for months” and derogatory comments were made mainly against women and their appearance.

The report also revealed that management misled the leader’s office over attempts to deal with anti-semitism complaints.

There was “no evidence” of anti-semitism being handled differently from other complaints and “factional opposition” towards Mr Corbyn hindered efforts to tackle the crisis, the report claimed.

Around 30 black and minority ethnic (BAME) Labour members from across Britain have written to the NEC, Mr Starmer, and deputy leader Angela Rayner to express their “outrage, anger and dismay” over the contents of the report.

In a letter seen by the Star, the BAME members condemn “misogynoir” directed at black women MPs, as well as an “outrageous abuse of position, power and finances directed against [Mr Corbyn].”

The letter calls for the NEC to send out guidance immediately after its virtual meeting so that BAME Labour branches “can be established as soon as possible.”