Iain McNicol warned there is “simply too much” abuse, intimidation and shouting down of members taking place online and at meetings. He appealed for any evidence of improper conduct to be passed to the party’s headquarters.
Advertisement
Angela Eagle, who was the first to launch a challenge against Corbyn before withdrawing from the contest, had a brick thrown through the window of her constituency office earlier this month, while Corbyn himself said he’d had death threats.
Mr Smith’s comments came in a Newsnight interview in which he said that if he became Labour leader he would commit the party to keeping spending 2% of GDP on defence.
Mr Corbyn has repeatedly called for calm from his supporters and others.
In what will be seen as a rebuff to Mr Corbyn, who says he condemns abuse, Mr McNicol said words of condemnation were meaningless unless they were backed up by action.
“One of the weaknesses that we’ve had recently is that people worry that Labour isn’t serious about security, that it’s a lesser issue for Jeremy as it were”, the former Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary said.
Mr Smith described Seema Malhotra’s claim as an “internal little spat” but said staffers should not have entered the former shadow minister’s office without her permission.
The leadership contest is set to intensify throughout the summer, with the level of interest in the outcome being demonstrated by the huge number of people who paid the £25 required to become registered members with a vote in the contest.
Last week more than 180,000 people applied to be registered supporters in the coming election. “They shouldn’t be shouted down, they shouldn’t be intimidated and they shouldn’t be abused, either in meetings or online”.
NEC members wrestled with legal advice for six hours over whether Mr Corbyn would need to secure the support of 20% of Labour MPs and MEPs (51 nominations) to make it on to the ballot paper, after both sides maintained that the party rule book backed their case.
Mr Corbyn’s leadership received a boost as Sarah Champion – one of the senior MPs who quit their front-bench roles as confidence in his leadership disappeared at Westminster – returned to her shadow ministerial role.
His close ally, shadow chancellor John McDonnell, has pleaded for an end to infighting but said he believed that a “small group” was intent on removing Mr Corbyn at all costs, if necessary splitting the party in the process.
Advertisement
A poll of Labour councillors in the 250 most marginal parliamentary constituencies showed that the majority (60%) were backing Mr Smith for the leadership, with 28% preferring Mr Corbyn.
