“To use an issue of such importance to try to divide the Labour party is reprehensible”, Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson told BBC radio Friday, adding that anyone intimidating MPs or their staff “should be removed from the party”.
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Hilary Benn, the shadow foreign secretary, was the main focus of anger for protesters as he was accused online of warmongering and bringing shame on his late father, Tony Benn, who had strong roots in the anti-war movement.
Another demonstration is planned for Sunday to coincide with a public meeting which the MP called to explain her decision to back action.
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack has warned Labour MPs not to stand in the way of Jeremy Corbyn’s agenda for change.
The Labour leader – who was the group’s chair prior to his election as party leader – is slated to appear at a fund raising dinner this week.
Abuse aimed at Ms Flint, who has represented Don Valley since, 1997, has also come directly from Labour members whose comments will now be referred directly to the party. The decision to back action in Syria is a serious decision.
Mr McDonnell responded: “What Jeremy demonstrated yesterday is an overwhelming majority in every section of the party – amongst the members, on the National Executive Committee and amongst members of the Parliamentary Labour Party and the shadow cabinet – he had a majority in every part of the party”.
It is the British people who must stop these wars by voting for MPs of principle.
“If an MP is not robust enough to withstand emails and tweets, they should really not be voting for bombing other people – those who wish to be alone with their consciences would do better to consider a life of religious contemplation”.
“There is abuse on both sides and it needs to stop”, he said.
Deselection was openly being discussed by visitors to the Facebook pages of grassroots Momentum groups – including for areas that cover pro-airstrike MPs Harriet Harman and Neil Coyle in Southwark, Chuka Umunna in Lambeth, and Heidi Alexander and Jim Dowd in Lewisham.
It added in a statement: “Momentum is not a threat to MPs who voted for bombing”.
Mr Livingstone later defended his comments, telling the BBC: “Nobody should be doing abusive tweets or anything like that, but people voicing their genuine belief that they would rather have an MP who supports the leader rather than undermines him should be free to say that”. “The selection of candidates is entirely a matter for local party members and rightly so”.
Spokesperson for the bookmaker, Graham Sharpe, stated: “The intriguing possibility of the two Hil(l)arys leading their countries at the same time has suddenly become more likely as Hilary Benn takes over as favourite to succeed Jeremy Corbyn, while Hillary Clinton is already odds-on favourite to win next year’s US Presidential Election”.
“We specifically asked our supporters to emulate Jeremy Corbyn, and to keep their messages about the issues and to refrain from any personal attacks”.
“If there’s evidence that people are abusive of colleagues in the Labour Party there should be no tolerance of that in my view”.
Mr Benn, tipped as a possible successor to Mr Corbyn, had led a shadow cabinet rebellion against the Labour leader that forced him to concede a free vote for his MPs.
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It was said that if I voted in favour of military action, I’d have blood on my hands.
