This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36864903

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Labour leadership: Corbyn is 'stirring' up trouble says Eagle Labour leadership: Owen Smith clashes with Jeremy Corbyn over MP 'abuse'
(about 1 hour later)
Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of "stirring" up trouble among his supporters after a Labour MP said she was "afraid" for her staff's safety. Jeremy Corbyn has been accused by the man challenging him for the Labour leadership of "licensing" abuse of MPs by his supporters.
Angela Eagle said Mr Corbyn had not condemned abuse directed against MPs critical of his leadership and allowed a "permissive environment" to flourish. Mr Corbyn has condemned harassment and urged people to "lower the temperature" of the debate.
The one-time leadership challenger has cancelled constituency meetings after receiving death threats. But Owen Smith said he was not doing enough to clamp down on "intolerance and misogyny".
Mr Corbyn said he regretted her remarks and had spoken out against abuse. He accused Mr Corbyn's supporters of engaging in "systematic abuse" of him and other critics of the Labour leader.
Meanwhile, a row over the potential de-selection of Labour MPs opposed to Mr Corbyn's leadership has deepened, with former acting leader Harriet Harman accusing Mr Corbyn of "driving a wedge" between MPs and party members over the procedures for choosing who can stand at the next election. All Labour constituency parties have been suspended for the duration of the leadership campaign amid ongoing turmoil while several MPs who oppose Mr Corbyn have accused his supporters in the Momentum group of trying to intimidate them and their staff.
Mr Corbyn is facing a challenge to his leadership from former shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith, who has criticised his "useless" leadership and claimed he can save the party from splitting in two. Angela Eagle, who withdrew her own leadership bid earlier in the week, has suggested Mr Corbyn was "stirring" the trouble, telling the Daily Telegraph he had encouraged a "permissive environment" within the party and she now feared for her staff's safety.
'Ritual condemnations' The former shadow business secretary says she had her constituency office vandalised last week.
All Labour constituency parties have been suspended for the duration of the leadership campaign amid ongoing turmoil.
Several MPs who oppose Mr Corbyn have accused his supporters in the Momentum group of trying to intimidate them and their staff.
Ms Eagle, who withdrew her own leadership bid earlier in the week, has suggested Mr Corbyn has "contributed" to the current grassroots unrest.
The former shadow business secretary, one of 20 members of the shadow cabinet to resign last month in protest at Mr Corbyn's leadership, had her constituency office vandalised last week.
She said on Thursday she was cancelling public meetings in her Wallasey constituency on police advice - although Merseyside Police later said it had been the MP's decision to do so.She said on Thursday she was cancelling public meetings in her Wallasey constituency on police advice - although Merseyside Police later said it had been the MP's decision to do so.
The MP, who is now supporting Mr Smith, told the Daily Telegraph. "He (Mr Corbyn) has been stirring, he needs to be held to account...I think he has contributed to this. Mr Smith said he agreed with Ms Eagle that Mr Corbyn had not taken nearly a firm enough line on evidence of intimidation, both on social media and elsewhere.
"It is all very well to condemn it but there is a permissive environment. You can make any number of ritual condemnations as you like but you have got to be judged on your actions, not just words. "I think Jeremy should take a little more responsibility for what is going on in the Labour Party," he told the BBC News Channel.
"I am afraid for my staff. It's them that have been up there not me. It's them that have had to field the calls." "After all, we didn't have this kind of abuse, intolerance, misogyny and anti-Semitism in the party before Jeremy Corbyn became leader.
In response, Mr Corbyn said he had spoken out against "any forms of abuse whatsoever in politics or public life" and did not feel responsible for recent incidents, including reported criminal damage of Ms Eagle's constituency office which is being investigated by police. "Angela is right it has effectively been licensed over the last nine months.
He told BBC News: "I deeply regret the language that Angela is using there. As soon as I heard about the brick that was thrown through part of the building where her office is I called her and her office immediately, expressed my regret for what happened and absolutely condemned it." "It is not good enough for Jeremy to say he has threats too. I have had threats too and I am telling him 'it has got to be stamped out and we have to have zero tolerance' of this in the Labour Party.
'Consigned to history' "The truth is many of the people who are heaping abuse on people are Jeremy's supporters. It is just a fact that it is Jeremy's side of the argument that is engaging in this great volume of abuse."
The Labour leader, who launched his official re-election campaign on Thursday, said he had put in place a "very clear" code of conduct for how he and his supporters should behave during the two-month leadership contest - to be decided on 24 September. 'Ring my Dad'
But as the rift between Mr Corbyn and the majority of his MPs grows, one frontbencher has suggested the Labour leader had threatened to "ring his dad" - who is a Sinn Fein councillor - after the MP said he needed to reach out traditional Labour voters in a magazine interview. As the rift between Mr Corbyn and the majority of his MPs grows, one frontbencher has suggested the Labour leader had threatened to "ring his dad" - who is a Sinn Fein councillor - after the MP said he needed to reach out traditional Labour voters in a magazine interview.
Conor McGinn, the MP for St Helens North, told Politics Home he had been subjected to a "torrent of abuse" by the Labour leader's supporters in recent weeks but his claims have been denied by the party leadership.Conor McGinn, the MP for St Helens North, told Politics Home he had been subjected to a "torrent of abuse" by the Labour leader's supporters in recent weeks but his claims have been denied by the party leadership.
And Ms Harman said Mr Corbyn had failed to reassure MPs who did not support him that they would not be prevented from standing again at the next election. But Mr Corbyn said he had spoken out against "any forms of abuse whatsoever in politics or public life" and had immediately contacted Ms Eagle after he learnt of claims a brick had been thrown through the window of her constituency office, which is being investigated by police.
The Labour leader, who launched his official re-election campaign on Thursday, said he had put in place a "very clear" code of conduct for how he and his supporters should behave during the two-month leadership contest - to be decided on 24 September.
"I have made it clear that harassment and abusive language have absolutely no place in our political discourse.
"I receive plenty of abusive language and I do not respond to it any way because I don't want to demean myself or promote the person who is using that kind of abusive language. I think we should lower the temperature and increase the quality of our debate."
Labour's former deputy leader Harriet Harman said Mr Corbyn had failed to reassure MPs who did not support him that they would not be prevented from standing again at the next election.
The Labour leader has said it was up to party members to decide whether the process of mandatory re-selection should continue or the procedures should be "widened".The Labour leader has said it was up to party members to decide whether the process of mandatory re-selection should continue or the procedures should be "widened".
Ms Harman said: "It's not clear whether what he's doing is trying to explain the current rules or whether or not there's a new set of rules and what they are but I think that either way, it's evidence that Jeremy's not capable of leading the party in a united way."Ms Harman said: "It's not clear whether what he's doing is trying to explain the current rules or whether or not there's a new set of rules and what they are but I think that either way, it's evidence that Jeremy's not capable of leading the party in a united way."
Mr Smith will later warn that Labour could be "consigned to history" if Mr Corbyn is re-elected and he has a duty to stop the party continuing "along this path to a disastrous split".
Speaking at a campaign event in Manchester, he will say: "If we don't pull ourselves back from the brink, unite and start acting like a team we are at risk of falling apart.
"I can't stand by and watch that happen, it would be a betrayal of the labour movement's history and heritage of working together to secure power in order to improve people's lives."
Mr Corbyn will seek to galvanise his own supporters at a series of UK-wide meetings on Saturday - with rallies in Salford, London, Bristol, Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool, Hull, Glasgow and Cambridge.Mr Corbyn will seek to galvanise his own supporters at a series of UK-wide meetings on Saturday - with rallies in Salford, London, Bristol, Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool, Hull, Glasgow and Cambridge.
His campaign team say Mr Corbyn is building an "election-winning operation" based on digital networks and the explosion in party membership in recent weeks.His campaign team say Mr Corbyn is building an "election-winning operation" based on digital networks and the explosion in party membership in recent weeks.