Jeremy Corbyn has been forced to deny bullying his political opponents after one of his MPs alleged that the Labour leader had threatened to telephone his father amid a row over the party’s direction.
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Breaking with the traditional question and answer format of the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, the shadow chancellor turned to the camera and said: “Let me say this: we’ve got to stop this now”.
He recognised condemnation of such “appalling behaviour” from leader Jeremy Corbyn and his challenger Owen Smith, among others, but added such comments are “meaningless unless they are backed up by action”.
Ms Champion is well known in Westminster and in her Rotherham constituency for her campaign work after 1400 youngsters were found to be victims of abuse.
Mr Corbyn’s office dismissed the allegation as “untrue” but St Helens North MP Mr McGinn accused the party leader of hypocrisy for talking about a “kinder, gentler politics” when “he had proposed using my family against me”.
Elsewhere, Labour’s shadow Lords leader Baroness Smith of Basildon revealed she would support Mr Smith in his battle with Mr Corbyn for the leadership.
Sarah Champion has resumed her post as shadow minister for prevention of abuse just four weeks after stepping down and telling Corbyn his leadership was not “tenable”.
Malhotra wants a parliamentary inquiry into what she claims was an “illegal” attempt by Murphy to enter her office and two incidents of “unauthorised access” by McDonnell’s office manager.
Labour MP Michael Dugher, who was close to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, predicted that if May called an election with Corbyn as the Labour leader she would raise her majority from 12 to more than 100.
Speaking on Saturday, Mr Corbyn condemned abuse among members, saying “it has no place in our party”.
“Furthermore, my staff, including an intern, who have always been courteous and open, have felt harassed, intimidated and insecure”.
The peer criticised Mr Corbyn for claiming credit for Government U-turns on tax credits, trade union reforms and housing without acknowledging colleagues.
Champion initially quit as part of the wave of mass resignations from Corbyn’s frontbench last month. “A few people say things they shouldn’t and then it’s blown up out of all proportion, to suit the imagery that the Labour party has somehow become a cesspit, and suddenly it’s a crisis”.
“But I don’t know enough about the details”.
However, the survey by the Labour History Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin University uncovered very different results when councillors were asked how local members and supporters will vote in the leadership contest now underway.
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Only 10 per cent thought Mr Smith would win more of these votes.
