In response to Smith, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said: “I’ve given my whole life to this party, there’s no way I am ever, ever going to allow this party to split”.
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The Beechwood ward councillor declared it a “clear majority”.
Party insiders said this showed he was gaining new support among members rather than losing it, despite having lost the backing of 80 per cent of MPs.
Addressing media outlets, one of the protestors Bobby Smith alleged that “for a while we’ve been thinking that Jeremy Corbyn needs to be held to account about his role in blocking shared parenting in 2011”.
While they agreed over large swathes of party policy, Smith repeatedly needled Corbyn over his poor showing in opinion polls, saying he is incapable of defeating Prime Minister Theresa May in a general election.
The contest has become a bitter fight, and local party meetings have been suspended until September due to allegations of intimidation levelled against Mr Corbyn’s supporters.
Earlier, Mr Smith warned that victory for Mr Corbyn could spell the end for Labour, telling the Guardian: “We are teetering on the edge of a precipice here”.
Under revised rules for the contest between Corbyn and Owen Smith, introduced by Labour’s national executive committee last month, full members can not vote unless they joined in January or before.
Additionally, the Labour party has continued to grow – it is now bigger than it has been in 40 years, with more than 600,000 members.
“We can’t have this sort of ugly dialogue in the Labour party”.
Corbyn’s rival, Owen Smith, has also pledged a substantial spending increase, including a “British New Deal” of £200bn worth of investment over five years, including substantial commitments to investment in the north of England, and major house-building and infrastructure projects.
“I didn’t resign from the shadow cabinet on that Sunday”.
Smith also accused Corbyn of presiding over a rise in anti-semitism in the party during his nine months as leader and not doing enough to tackle it. Smith said he is “ashamed” the Labour Party is being associated with racism against Jews.
“We were ahead in May, then came the wave of resignations”, Mr Corbyn said, blaming Labour MPs hostile to his leadership for poor polling figures. Just when the Tories have confirmed they are committed to implementing yet more austerity, despite the economic shockwaves caused by the European Union referendum result. People don’t want to be blackmailed in that way.
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He is the “anyone but Corbyn candidate”, she said, but added: “I think he’s probably a bit more in touch with the electorate”. But I think the race was something we didn’t need.
