Labour is engulfed in a bitter internal power struggle between Mr Corbyn’s supporters in the grassroots membership and the party’s lawmakers, who overwhelmingly rejected his leadership after last month’s Brexit.
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Mr Smith said the prospect of election victory was “distant” under Mr Corbyn and said he had met him on three occasions – as recently as two days ago – in the hope of persuading him to find a compromise to resolve the problem without a “divisive” leadership challenge, but had been rebuffed.
Labour Party members, affiliated trade union supporters and so-called registered supporters are able to vote although there are some key differences from the 2015 contest, which Corbyn won past year.
Then on Wednesday, after much debate over whether or not the Labour Party rules would allow Corbyn to be on the leadership contest ballot without obtaining the 51 nominations from within the party required for contenders, the National Executive Committee voted 18-14 to keep the leader on the ballot.
“The Labour Party can’t become the new nasty party for women, or indeed for anyone else”.
“If you joined after January 12, you won’t get to vote and if you want to be a registered voter, you have got to pay the £25”.
“But there is no future for the Labour Party if, led by Jeremy, we go down to a crushing defeat in an early General Election”.
“Whoever wins the leadership contest is nearly certainly going to divide the party further”, Brian Klaas, a fellow in comparative politics at the London School of Economics, told AFP.
But the decision to suspend constituency meetings means members of Swansea West Labour Party, who were due to meet tonight and hold a similar vote, will not now go-ahead.
Mr Corbyn has dismissed the claims, insisting he is “going nowhere” and intends to honour the mandate given to him by 59.5% of party members in last September’s leadership election.
“I’m certain that the Labour party won’t split”.
“None has been undertaken by any Labour Party member as far as I am aware, and I deplore such behaviour, and would never condone that, but having said that, it is not right to conflate abuse and intimidation with refusing to call MPs to account”.
A contest is taking place after Black Country MP Tom Watson (Lab West Bromwich East), and the party’s deputy leader, was unsuccessful in his attempt to negotiate a deal which could have involved Mr Corbyn standing down voluntarily.
Labour officials on Wearside are calling for calm as the party’s leadership election heats up.
“As well as young people we had many others who came from all walks of life”.
To compound matters for the party, only 23% think the current leader has what it takes to be prime minister, with even less (21%) agreeing Ms Eagle would make a good PM.
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The victor of the contest, which will formally get underway with an announcement of the timetable on Thursday, is expected to be crowned in September.
