The Pontypridd MP, who is widely expected to fail in his bid to unseat Corbyn, was making his last major speech of the campaign in Westminster.
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Select committee roles have become increasingly important to Labour MPs who do not back the party’s current leadership, with many former shadow cabinet members taking spots on committees.
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party joins a protest by campaigners calling for an inquiry into a confrontation between police and pickets in Orgreave in 1984, outside Parliament, in London, on Tuesday.
The list of MPs has been released to the press in an attempt to brand Mr Corbyn’s leadership election rival, Owen Smith, as the “real disunity candidate” and argues Mr Smith’s supporters have been abusive.
He has written a formal letter of complaint to Mr Corbyn, warning him that he will be speaking to a lawyer about the list which he considers “a deliberate act of defamation”.
“These changes aren’t about fairness to voters, they are about what is best for the Tory [Conservative] Party and they must not go ahead”, Labour lawmaker Jon Ashworth said in a statement.
He unveiled plans to create one million jobs through a £500bn investment programme in infrastructure, manufacturing and new industries in August – claiming it would be funded through “an expanding economy and driving down tax evasion”.
He received huge applause when he pledged to renationalise the railways and try to halt controversial plans for grammar schools.
He will say the European Union referendum result must be respected and call for the Government to press for full access to the single market.
Bookmakers, pollsters and most Labour MPs believe Mr Corbyn is on course for his second decisive victory in a year.
“For those members who haven’t voted yet, this is another demonstration of the kind of lack of leadership, the kind of division, that Jeremy and John McDonnell want to perpetuate if they win again”.
“We are all on the same page. There’s no dispute at all, as far as I can tell, on the direction of economic policy”. Over the last 12 months we have transformed that debate.
“Jeremy Corbyn has made it clear time and time again that he categorically rejects negative campaigning and personal attacks”, he said. We are trying to work with everybody at the moment.
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”.
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“Don’t write me off before the final whistle is all I’ll ask”, he said. “I’m very keen on providing olive branches, and indeed a number of olive branches have already been offered”, he said, adding as an aside that he was growing an actual olive tree on the balcony of his office, and that it was thriving.
