Keir Starmer is being pressed to allow Labour to field candidates in Northern Ireland elections.
The move could give the Labour leader the few extra MPs he might need in a tight general election.
Labour currently backs its sister party, the nationalist SDLP, which has two MPs and 12 assembly members.
But shadow trade secretary Emily Thornberry said: “We should be offering Northern Ireland voters an alternative.”
And former Northern Ireland minister Sir George Howarth added: “A Northern Ireland Labour Party could provide a home for both unionists and nationalists. The Labour Party is at its best when it takes ownership of the future. And we should take part in the future of Northern Ireland.”
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The plan is to establish a non-sectarian Labour Party which would contest around three Parliamentary seats and six assembly ones.
Northern Ireland’s religious divide between Protestants and Catholics has been shrinking with eight out of 10 people now preferring a mixed workplace.
The Tories do put up candidates but have no MPs, assembly members or local councillors in Northern Ireland.
Sir George, Labour MP for Knowsley, added: “We should establish a dialogue with other progressives to create a progressive policy platform.”
A Labour spokesperson said: “Labour has no plans to stand candidates in Northern Ireland.”
