Labour activists will be given a “big say” in whether the party continues to back the renewal of the UK’s nuclear weapons system, Jeremy Corbyn has said.
Advertisement
Elsewhere, on BBC Scotland’s Sunday Politics Scotland programme, shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray called on Labour’s shadow cabinet to unite the party.
“We as a party, in the wake of the reshuffle which was an incredible distraction from all of these issues, need to be coming together and doing the work to provide an alternative to this Government which is a very bad government”.
GMB and fellow nuclear union Unite indicated they would vote against anti-Trident motions if they were heard, but at Scottish Labour’s conference the following month Unite voted for a successful motion committing the party to disarmament north of the border.
Asked about Ms McKinnell’s resignation, a spokesman for the Labour leader said he would “thank her for her service”.
Mr Corbyn refused to go in details of the “private chat” he held with Hilary Benn but insisted he was “not sure where the briefings” that the shadow foreign secretary was to be sacked had come from.
But he also had “a mandate I received as leader”.
“The second is the reality of being a Shadow Cabinet member”.
And that review would be “comprehensive” and would consider the “protection of skills and jobs”.
But the National Executive would decide whether that would be through a vote at Labour’s annual conference or a ballot of all members. “That has got to be laid at the leader’s office’s door”, he said.
“Let’s see what happens in relation to that but I am clear that I support Trident remaining”, he said.
Mr Corbyn axed pro-Trident Shadow Defence Secretary maria Eagle and replaced her with Emily Thornberry.
“A reshuffle is never easy”, he said.
Edinburgh South representative Mr Murray said: “We’re all part of the same team and some of the words he chose in that particular interview were unnecessary”.
Labour MPs will gather for the first time since the reshuffle later today at a meeting of the parliamentary party.
“I am happy with it”.
The leader defended his sacking of Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister after he upset Corbyn for his warning a year ago about drawing a link between terrorist attacks and western military intervention.
Mr Corbyn’s relatively radical position on the left of British politics led some to joke that perhaps he had simply made a decision to speak what was on his mind.
“I am absolutely not in favour of terrorism of any sort”, he said.
Ms McGovern added: “The fact is that there was absolutely no provocation for John’s comments this week, and his refusal to apologise – which I asked his team for privately before saying anything in public – leaves me with no choice”.
Advertisement
Jeremy Corbyn’s hopes of changing Labour policy to dump Trident look set to be defeated by trade unions whose members rely on the defence industry.
