Supporters say a change in the rules would give the Labour leader more room for manoeuvre Labour MPs are due to vote on whether to scrap the system of elections to the shadow cabinet.
Under decades-old rules, Labour’s front bench in opposition is chosen through a ballot of its MPs every two years.
Labour leader Ed Miliband says the rules are a legacy of Labour’s past. He wants to choose his shadow cabinet.
BBC political correspondent Gary O’Donoghue says there is some opposition to the change, but the measure is likely to go through.
He said one senior MP has told the BBC that there is expected to be a serious majority in favour of the change, and possibly even a landslide.
Our correspondent said this was not the equivalent of a clause four moment – when Tony Blair replaced Labour’s historical commitment to nationalising everything – but it would allow the Labour leader to say that he has begun to reshape the party for the future.
The current shadow cabinet was voted in by Labour MPs in October 2010 – a month after a previous move to have a fully appointed shadow cabinet was rejected by the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP).
The PLP also rejected proposals from the party’s deputy leader, Harriet Harman, to make the shadow cabinet at least 50% women – instead settling for 31.5%.
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