Labour MPs are to vote on Tuesday on whether to reinstate a system of electing shadow cabinet members, in an attempt to promote unity within the badly-split parliamentary party.
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Last night Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts tabled a motion calling for the change, said it was a “pragmatic response to the situation we find ourselves in”.
“Recognising the collective effort required in parliament, any candidate who can not get the backing of 15 per cent of the people they will lead clearly will not have the credibility to unite a parliamentary team and provide an effective opposition to the Tories”.
According to a YouGov poll published last week, Corbyn is set to win the leadership contest easily, and now has a 24 point lead over his opponent.
But he said it would also put pressure on former shadow ministers to put their differences aside and return to the top team. “So it works both ways”.
This morning, Smith said: “There is a risk that if Jeremy does with the contest we are back in groundhog day with Labour divided, with Jeremy unable to fulfill that most fundamental task of the leader of the Labour Party, holding together the coalition that is Labour – and it’s always been a coalition”.
More than half of Jeremy Corbyn supporters believe that British spies are working to undermine the Labour leader, according to new figures.
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn suggested the party could consider giving members a vote on the make-up of the shadow cabinet.
She claimed she did not see how this “hurdle” would be cleared by elections to appoint shadow cabinet members.
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If they vote in favour of the elections – as is widely expected – then the reform would have to be ratified by the party’s national executive committee (NEC) before the rule is imposed. Any review also needs to take account of the need to represent regions, nations, gender and ethnicity.
