LABOUR has formally reported figures in Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership campaign team to the Information Commissioner following a suspected attempt to hack the party’s membership database.

The Star understands that two team members have been accused of trying to gain information from Labour’s database of 550,000 people to help map out and target party members who could be potentially sympathetic to Mr Starmer’s candidacy.

Mr Starmer and his campaign have disputed the claims, and said that while his team members were investigating ways to breach the database in order to strengthen the party, they had no intention of ever using the data.

A spokesman for Mr Starmer said: “We categorically reject these nonsensical allegations and are incredibly disappointed that they have been leaked to the media.

“We are still awaiting the party’s formal response to the serious concerns we and others had about access to Labour Party membership data.”

However, Mr Starmer’s campaign chairwoman Jenny Chapman appeared to contradict this yesterday morning, saying that nobody in her team had the “capacity” to hack the databases, and that the hacking “didn’t happen.”

It is understood Labour is conducting “a thorough investigation” into the claims.

A Labour Party spokesman said: “The Labour Party takes its legal responsibilities for data protection — and the security and integrity of its data and systems — extremely seriously.

“We have written to all leadership candidates to remind them of their obligations under the law and to seek assurances that membership data will not be misused.”

The Information Commissioner’s Office has confirmed that it has received report of a breach of Labour’s database and will begin investigations soon.