“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”.
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The city MP, who joined the mass resignation by shadow ministers in Corbyn’s team when he stepped down as parliamentary private secretary to the shadow justice team, was widely quoted as having spoken out in front of more than 200 Labour colleagues.
A party source said: “Clive said we can’t carry on like this”.
“He also made the point that it might put pressure on some people who might not have wanted to return to come back”.
It now means 84 per cent of Labour’s constituency parties have backed Mr Corbyn to remain as leader, with just 16 per cent backing Mr Smith.
The Mirror reported last month how Mr Corbyn was told big hitters will not return to his frontbench team unless the elections are reinstated.
Deputy leader Tom Watson, who is preparing a bid to overturn Labour’s “one person one vote” system, has signalled support for shadow cabinet elections.
More than half of Jeremy Corbyn supporters believe that British spies are working to undermine the Labour leader, according to new figures.
Ms McCarthy went on: “The question would be though is I felt I couldn’t go on the media and say that I had confidence in Jeremy Corbyn”.
Today a spokesman for Mr Corbyn signalled a direct vote by Labour members could be a different solution.
She claimed she did not see how this “hurdle” would be cleared by elections to appoint shadow cabinet members.
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A spokesperson for the Labour leader added: “Jeremy supports democratisation and reform of the party rules and structures. Any review also needs to take account of the need to represent regions and nations”.
