Keir Starmer has tightened his grip on the Labour Party machine after elections to the party’s ruling body saw moderates make gains. 

Elections to Labour’s National Executive Committee on Friday showed the party’s left lost two representatives to the key body. 

The move means Starmer is likely to have a majority on the key body, which decides on the party’s rule book, policy and plays a role in deciding on the general election manifesto. 

The pro-moderate majority was expected after the NEC’s voting system was switched from winner-takes-all to proportional representation. 

The elections are the latest step in the new leader taking control of the party from the left, after he secured the role of David Evans as general secretary.

New elections to the NEC include three reps from the moderate ‘Labour To Win’ slate, including Luke Akehurst, Johanna Baxter and Gurinder Singh Josan. 

Former Welsh first minister, also a moderate, Carwyn Jones, was also elected in Wales. 

Local government representatives Nick Forbes and Alice Perry, both supportive of Starmer, were also elected. 

But the results also showed backing for the left remained strong. 

The ‘Grassroots Voice’ slate won five local party representative seats, including Mish Rahman, Gemma Bolton and former North West Durham MP Laura Pidcock. 

The left also won the youth representative and disabled representative posts, with Lara McNeill and Ellen Morris. 

As well as handling the implications for the party from the recent anti-Semitism report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the NEC will deal with the Martin Forde probe, which is examining how an internal report criticising staff was leaked.