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| Tom Watson: Labour ditches vote on abolishing deputy leader role | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Jeremy Corbyn has attempted to defuse an attempt to oust the deputy Labour leader, Tom Watson, after a huge backlash from unions and MPs. | |
| The Labour leader proposed reviewing the post of deputy leader after a surprise attempt to abolish the post narrowly failedon Friday night. | |
| The proposal to abolish Watson’s role had been due to be put to a vote at a meeting of Labour’s ruling national executive committee. | |
| The row, which erupted on Friday night, plunged the party into a major crisis as its annual conference began in Brightonon Saturday. MPs, shadow ministers and officials all expressed anger at the move. | |
| A Labour party source said: “Jeremy Corbyn proposed that the motion not go to a vote and instead that there be a review of the position of deputy leader and other positions in support of the leader. | |
| “This will consider how democratic accountability can be strengthened to give members a greater say, expanding the number of elected positions, and how diverse representation can be further improved. The NEC agreed to his proposal.” | |
| Watson had earlier described the move to abolish his post as deputy leader of the Labour party as a “drive-by shooting”. | |
| Watson said he learned of the vote, which threatened to plunge the Labour party into a fresh civil war on the eve of its annual conference, while sitting in a Chinese restaurant in Manchester. | |
| Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Watson said: “I got a text message in a Chinese restaurant in Manchester to say that they were abolishing me.” He added that Jeremy Corbyn had the power to stop the vote from going ahead. | Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Watson said: “I got a text message in a Chinese restaurant in Manchester to say that they were abolishing me.” He added that Jeremy Corbyn had the power to stop the vote from going ahead. |
| Jon Lansman, the founder of the pro-Corbyn campaign group Momentum, tabled a last-minute motion at the party’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) on Friday night calling for Watson’s job to be scrapped. | Jon Lansman, the founder of the pro-Corbyn campaign group Momentum, tabled a last-minute motion at the party’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) on Friday night calling for Watson’s job to be scrapped. |
| The chair of the NEC initially ruled Lansman’s motion out of order, but NEC members agreed to return to the issue on Saturday morning. | |
| Neither Watson nor Corbyn were present at the meeting. Watson said he was yet to speak to Corbyn. | Neither Watson nor Corbyn were present at the meeting. Watson said he was yet to speak to Corbyn. |
| Watson said: “It’s a straight sectarian attack on a broad church party and it’s moving us into a different kind of institution where pluralism isn’t tolerated, where factional observance has to be adhered to completely and it kind of completely goes against the sort of traditions that the Labour party has had for 100 years.” | Watson said: “It’s a straight sectarian attack on a broad church party and it’s moving us into a different kind of institution where pluralism isn’t tolerated, where factional observance has to be adhered to completely and it kind of completely goes against the sort of traditions that the Labour party has had for 100 years.” |
| Watson believes his position on Brexit is behind the move to oust him. He added: “If we’re serious about changing the political economy in Britain, of giving people the benefits of a transformative Labour government then let’s focus on that this week rather than having what seems like a sort of sleight of hand of constitutional change to do a drive-by shooting of someone you disagree with on the issue of the day.” | |
| Labour MPs have come to Watson’s defence The former prime minister Tony Blair said a decision to abolish the post of deputy leader would be “undemocratic, damaging and politically dangerous”. | |
| He added: “To suggest it at this time shows a quite extraordinary level of destructive sectarianism. The Labour party has always contained different views within it and the deputy leader’s position has been one way of accommodating such views. | |
| “Getting rid of it would be a signal that such pluralism of views was coming to an end despite being cherished throughout Labour’s history.” | |
| The former Labour leader Ed Miliband said: “The move to abolish the deputy leader post without warning or debate is undemocratic, wrong and should not happen. Those who came up with the idea for the eve of Labour conference have taken leave of their senses.” | |
| The Ilford North MP, Wes Streeting, tweeted that the move to remove the deputy leader was “outrageous, it’s self-destructive and must stop”.A Momentum source previously told the Guardian: “No one person is more important than beating Boris Johnson, ending austerity and tackling the climate emergency. We just can’t afford to go into an election with a deputy leader set on wrecking Labour’s chances. | The Ilford North MP, Wes Streeting, tweeted that the move to remove the deputy leader was “outrageous, it’s self-destructive and must stop”.A Momentum source previously told the Guardian: “No one person is more important than beating Boris Johnson, ending austerity and tackling the climate emergency. We just can’t afford to go into an election with a deputy leader set on wrecking Labour’s chances. |
| “Labour members overwhelmingly want a deputy leadership election, but our outdated rulebook won’t let it happen. You need 20% of Labour MPs to trigger an election, and they just won’t let the members have a fair and open election.” | “Labour members overwhelmingly want a deputy leadership election, but our outdated rulebook won’t let it happen. You need 20% of Labour MPs to trigger an election, and they just won’t let the members have a fair and open election.” |
| The Labour shadow cabinet member Dawn Butler said she was surprised at moves to try to abolish the position of deputy party leader. Referring to moves to remove Watson from the role, Butler told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “I think it’s a good position to have an elected deputy leader. | The Labour shadow cabinet member Dawn Butler said she was surprised at moves to try to abolish the position of deputy party leader. Referring to moves to remove Watson from the role, Butler told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “I think it’s a good position to have an elected deputy leader. |
| “I was quite surprised at the motion, if that is what you want to ask me … It just came out of the blue for me.” | “I was quite surprised at the motion, if that is what you want to ask me … It just came out of the blue for me.” |
| Butler said she understood the frustration of the members. “I have my frustrations with Tom too. I haven’t seen him at a shadow cabinet meeting for a while.” | Butler said she understood the frustration of the members. “I have my frustrations with Tom too. I haven’t seen him at a shadow cabinet meeting for a while.” |
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