Corbyn is now facing a leadership challenge mounted after the resignation of around 20 members of his shadow cabinet, and a no confidence vote in which 172 out of Labour’s 230 MPs voted against the party leader.
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Two of the region’s MPs, Redcar MP Anna Turley and Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Tom Blenkinsop were identified by the campaign over claims about their behaviour.
A complaint by an unnamed MP to the party’s chief whip and general secretary said the action amounted to “harassment and bullying by the leader of the parliamentary party” and warned it was “not acceptable for Labour MPs to be deliberately victimised by the leader of our party in this way”.
Mr Watson has since received an apology.
The list, which was compiled by the party leader’s team and sent to the Press Association last night, described leadership contender Owen Smith as “the real disunity candidate” and named 14 MPs.
“One of our researchers saw a bit of incoming flack, and then did a list of all of the statements that had been made by other MPs, some of which were nor particularly kind, let’s put it that way”.
Mr Coyle, who represents Bermondsey & Old Southwark, told the Evening Standard he is confident the three of them have a solid case against the Labour leader.
The London mayor said: “What this shouldn’t be used as an excuse for is either from the Conservative Government to reduce the number of Labour MPs or by the Labour leadership, and I’m sure they wouldn’t, to get rid of unpopular Labour MPs”.
One MP said: “With one breath Jeremy calls for unity and for the party to come together and with the next they publish this hit-list”.
Asked why he had been included on the list, he said: “The only thing I can think of is my article in The Guardian with Jo Cox after local elections, saying that Labour needs to do better and that we needed to have the policies to attract voters back to Labour”.
“Five days to get the Labour Party into a position where it can face outwards and talk about the problems the country faces and the solutions we offer – not face inwards with talk about deselections and Red Tories and splits”. But I will still be talking to a lawyer…. “The only person who has done that is John McDonnell”.
“I’ve been accused of abuse”.
Mr Corbyn’s team later distanced itself from the document insisting it was a draft that had been issued accidentally by a junior member of staff and was not meant for official use. “That is completely unacceptable and it’s so unprofessional”.
That’s right, Coyle wants to sue Corbyn because of something Coyle himself said, which was accusing his leader of presiding over the “Farage-ification” of the Labour Party.
It has been suggested that the changes would see Mr Corbyn go head-to-head with close ally Diane Abbott for the new seat.
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But the leader’s team said it was Mr Smith’s campaign that seems to have been created to “deepen divisions and heighten acrimony” in Labour.
