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| Labour MP submits formal complaint over Corbyn's 'deselection list' | Labour MP submits formal complaint over Corbyn's 'deselection list' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The Labour MP Ben Bradshaw has made a formal complaint to party officials about a briefing from Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign team that listed him as one of 13 MPs who had abused the leader or his allies. | The Labour MP Ben Bradshaw has made a formal complaint to party officials about a briefing from Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign team that listed him as one of 13 MPs who had abused the leader or his allies. |
| Bradshaw wrote to Corbyn, Iain McNicol, the party’s general secretary, and Rosie Winterton, the chief whip, to ask that the allegation be substantiated. | |
| The list was mistakenly released to journalists by a member of Corbyn’s team without approval, triggering anger among MPs. However, Corbyn appeared to stand by the briefing when asked about it during a Sky News hustings on Wednesday night, saying the remarks were all on public record. | The list was mistakenly released to journalists by a member of Corbyn’s team without approval, triggering anger among MPs. However, Corbyn appeared to stand by the briefing when asked about it during a Sky News hustings on Wednesday night, saying the remarks were all on public record. |
| In his complaint to Labour headquarters, Bradshaw said the briefing made an “extremely serious allegation, which Jeremy’s office did not have the courtesy of putting to me first. It is not the behaviour one would expect from a leader of the Labour party.” | In his complaint to Labour headquarters, Bradshaw said the briefing made an “extremely serious allegation, which Jeremy’s office did not have the courtesy of putting to me first. It is not the behaviour one would expect from a leader of the Labour party.” |
| The MP wrote to Corbyn to say he would be “extremely grateful if you could outline to me exactly what form this abuse is supposed to have taken”. | |
| Some of those named are annoyed that Tom Watson, the deputy leader, received an apology from an aide to Corbyn for being included on the list when the others have not. | Some of those named are annoyed that Tom Watson, the deputy leader, received an apology from an aide to Corbyn for being included on the list when the others have not. |
| In the release, Owen Smith, the challenger for the Labour leadership, was accused of being the “real disunity candidate” and alleged he had failed to tackle abuse meted out by his own supporters. | |
| The list, obtained by the Press Association, highlighted the behaviour of a number of Labour MPs, including Jess Phillips for telling Corbyn’s ally Diane Abbott to “fuck off”, John Woodcock for dismissing the party leader as a “fucking disaster”, and Tristram Hunt for describing Labour as “in the shit”. | The list, obtained by the Press Association, highlighted the behaviour of a number of Labour MPs, including Jess Phillips for telling Corbyn’s ally Diane Abbott to “fuck off”, John Woodcock for dismissing the party leader as a “fucking disaster”, and Tristram Hunt for describing Labour as “in the shit”. |
| Watson was highlighted for calling the grassroots Corbyn campaign Momentum a “rabble”. | Watson was highlighted for calling the grassroots Corbyn campaign Momentum a “rabble”. |
| The list emerged hours before the final Labour leadership hustings between Smith and Corbyn. At the Sky News debate, Smith branded it a “deselection list” that would be used by some activists to target MPs considered hostile to Corbyn. | |
| “You talk about trying to unite the party, but I find that quite hard to reconcile with something your campaign did just this evening, which was to publish a list, a deselection list if you like, of … MPs, including the deputy leader of our party, Tom Watson, who your campaign think transgressed against you in criticising you. That isn’t unifying. That is deeply divisive,” he said. | “You talk about trying to unite the party, but I find that quite hard to reconcile with something your campaign did just this evening, which was to publish a list, a deselection list if you like, of … MPs, including the deputy leader of our party, Tom Watson, who your campaign think transgressed against you in criticising you. That isn’t unifying. That is deeply divisive,” he said. |
| Smith said the deselection of sitting MPs would lead Labour into “even greater trouble than we are now”, before accusing Corbyn of not being serious about winning power. | Smith said the deselection of sitting MPs would lead Labour into “even greater trouble than we are now”, before accusing Corbyn of not being serious about winning power. |
| Corbyn responded by defending the accuracy of the release and urging Smith to focus on policies. “There was information put out there, which is statements made by colleagues on the record and is all out there in the public domain,” the leader said. He went on to say he would rather Watson had not referred to activists from the Momentum group of Corbyn supporters as a “rabble”. | Corbyn responded by defending the accuracy of the release and urging Smith to focus on policies. “There was information put out there, which is statements made by colleagues on the record and is all out there in the public domain,” the leader said. He went on to say he would rather Watson had not referred to activists from the Momentum group of Corbyn supporters as a “rabble”. |
| The Labour leader said the list was not about targeting MPs for deselection, adding: “Owen, why don’t we try and discuss how we can make sure party policies are effective and that we win the next election by unifying and coming together around the issues that we do agree on, such as the need to oppose austerity, the need to support our NHS, the need to end PFIs [private finance initiatives] and the need for an investment strategy across the whole of this country.” | The Labour leader said the list was not about targeting MPs for deselection, adding: “Owen, why don’t we try and discuss how we can make sure party policies are effective and that we win the next election by unifying and coming together around the issues that we do agree on, such as the need to oppose austerity, the need to support our NHS, the need to end PFIs [private finance initiatives] and the need for an investment strategy across the whole of this country.” |
| The other MPs identified on the list were Ian Austin, Neil Coyle, Frank Field, Anna Turley, Jamie Reed, Karl Turner, Stephen Kinnock and Tom Blenkinsop. | The other MPs identified on the list were Ian Austin, Neil Coyle, Frank Field, Anna Turley, Jamie Reed, Karl Turner, Stephen Kinnock and Tom Blenkinsop. |