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Jeremy Corbyn seeks to heal party rift over MP deselection rumours Jeremy Corbyn seeks to heal party rift over MP deselection rumours
(35 minutes later)
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has moved to heal the rift with some of his backbenchers, saying he wanted to make clear that he does not favour any move to make it easier to deselect MPs.The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has moved to heal the rift with some of his backbenchers, saying he wanted to make clear that he does not favour any move to make it easier to deselect MPs.
He also announced he had appointed Rosie Winterton, the party chief whip, to oversee the party’s response to the government review of constituency boundaries that will reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600, as well as see the redrawing of many constituency boundaries – changes that could result in many sitting Labour MPs finding their status under question. He also announced he had appointed Rosie Winterton, the party chief whip, to oversee Labour’s response to the government review of constituency boundaries that will reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600, as well as see the redrawing of many constituency boundaries – changes that could result in many sitting Labour MPs finding their status under question.
Her appointment is designed to reassure MPs that the boundary review will not be used as an excuse to target MPs who do not support the Labour leader.Her appointment is designed to reassure MPs that the boundary review will not be used as an excuse to target MPs who do not support the Labour leader.
Corbyn’s efforts to reassure MPs comes after a disruptive parliamentary party meeting last week, and anger among some MPs that supporters of Corbyn continually use social media to denounce MPs who question Corbyn’s leadership and to threaten deselection. Ben Bradshaw, Mike Gapes and Liz Kendall are among the MPs targeted on Twitter, often using a mixture of threats and offensive language. Corbyn’s efforts to reassure MPs comes after a disruptive parliamentary party meeting last week, and anger among some MPs that supporters of Corbyn continually use social media to denounce MPs who question his leadership and to threaten deselection. Ben Bradshaw, Mike Gapes and Liz Kendall are among the MPs targeted on Twitter, often with a mixture of threats and offensive language.
The atmosphere has led some MPs to question Momentum, the new social movement born out of the Corbyn campaign that has promised to try to harness the activist energy created by his election as leader. Some of his closest supporters openly advocate efforts to make it easier to deselect Labour MPs by making them subject to automatic reselection.The atmosphere has led some MPs to question Momentum, the new social movement born out of the Corbyn campaign that has promised to try to harness the activist energy created by his election as leader. Some of his closest supporters openly advocate efforts to make it easier to deselect Labour MPs by making them subject to automatic reselection.
The scale of the disruption in the boundary review will depend in part on the success of a Labour voter registration drive designed to bring in voters that have fallen off the register in urban Labour-held seats.The scale of the disruption in the boundary review will depend in part on the success of a Labour voter registration drive designed to bring in voters that have fallen off the register in urban Labour-held seats.
The registration drive is critical to Labour’s chances of preventing the Tories becoming the majority party again after the 2020 election. The government has passed a law that requires that constituencies to have broadly the same number of voters in each constituency – a change that is likely to see a fall in the number of Labour-held seats. The registration drive is critical to Labour’s chances of preventing the Tories becoming the majority party again after the 2020 election. The government has passed a law that requires constituencies to have broadly the same number of voters each – a change that is likely to see a fall in the number of Labour-held seats.
In a statement, Labour said Winterton would be “working very closely with the leader’s office, the deputy leader, Labour’s general secretary, party staff and politicians to shape Labour’s overall approach to this issue”.In a statement, Labour said Winterton would be “working very closely with the leader’s office, the deputy leader, Labour’s general secretary, party staff and politicians to shape Labour’s overall approach to this issue”.
Corbyn said: “David Cameron and the Conservative party are trying to rig the constitution for their own political ends.Corbyn said: “David Cameron and the Conservative party are trying to rig the constitution for their own political ends.
“They want to reduce by 50 the number of directly elected members of parliament under the guise of reducing the cost of politics, whilst cramming the Lords full with their unelected friends and donors at the taxpayer’s expense.“They want to reduce by 50 the number of directly elected members of parliament under the guise of reducing the cost of politics, whilst cramming the Lords full with their unelected friends and donors at the taxpayer’s expense.
“I am delighted that Rosie Winterton has agreed to lead Labour’s work on this important issue. We need a response across the party and parliamentary aspects of what the Tories are planning to do, and Rosie Winterton will ensure that this is delivered in a consensual way.“I am delighted that Rosie Winterton has agreed to lead Labour’s work on this important issue. We need a response across the party and parliamentary aspects of what the Tories are planning to do, and Rosie Winterton will ensure that this is delivered in a consensual way.
“I wish to make it absolutely crystal clear that I do not support any changes to Labour’s rules to make it easier to deselect sitting Labour MPs.”“I wish to make it absolutely crystal clear that I do not support any changes to Labour’s rules to make it easier to deselect sitting Labour MPs.”
In a sign of the frustration at the actions of a minority of Corbyn supporters, Jess Phillips, the MP for Birmingham Yardley, wrote a blogpost for Huffington Post arguing: “These keyboard warriors and purveyors of badly-printed flyers are like a group of kids who shout insults and run off leaving some poor innocent kid dealing with the fallout. In a sign of the frustration at the actions of a minority of Corbyn supporters, Jess Phillips, the MP for Birmingham Yardley, wrote a blogpost for Huffington Post, arguing: “These keyboard warriors and purveyors of badly printed flyers are like a group of kids who shout insults and run off leaving some poor innocent kid dealing with the fallout.
“Shouting at someone to show your loyalty will never ever be as good as having a chat and showing a bit of love. Shouting ‘neoliberal warmonger’ might make you feel clever and superior, but it makes you look a bit of a tit.”“Shouting at someone to show your loyalty will never ever be as good as having a chat and showing a bit of love. Shouting ‘neoliberal warmonger’ might make you feel clever and superior, but it makes you look a bit of a tit.”
Momentum insists that its purpose is not to have MPs deselected and its first campaign starting next Saturday will be to increase the number of registered voters.Momentum insists that its purpose is not to have MPs deselected and its first campaign starting next Saturday will be to increase the number of registered voters.
In a statement Momentum said its “groups will, where possible, work alongside local, regional and national Labour party efforts, as well as other interested unions and organisations, on the national day of action and in subsequent local efforts. In a statement, Momentum said its “groups will, where possible, work alongside local, regional and national Labour party efforts, as well as other interested unions and organisations, on the national day of action and in subsequent local efforts”.
Explaining the choice of Democracy SOS as Momentum’s first national campaign, Emma Rees, one of the organisers, said: “Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign for Labour leader put forward a new kind of politics, a politics that engaged with those shut out from the political system, promising more participatory democracy.Explaining the choice of Democracy SOS as Momentum’s first national campaign, Emma Rees, one of the organisers, said: “Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign for Labour leader put forward a new kind of politics, a politics that engaged with those shut out from the political system, promising more participatory democracy.
“Claiming your right to vote is a major step in politicisation, to further action at community and national level. And so, we thought that Democracy SOS was a natural choice as Momentum’s first national campaign.”“Claiming your right to vote is a major step in politicisation, to further action at community and national level. And so, we thought that Democracy SOS was a natural choice as Momentum’s first national campaign.”