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.
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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will today promise to pump billions into towns in the south east of England if he wins power. It is understood that no one in the party spoke against or for the motion at the first meeting of the PLP after the summer recess.
He acknowledged the move would take some control away from the victor of the party’s leadership contest, to be announced on September 24.
MPs will vote on the suggestion tomorrow, with the result expected shortly after 5pm.
35 per cent said that some Labour MP had been planted by Conservative strategists to undermine the left wing of the party.
The Mirror reported last month how Mr Corbyn was told big hitters will not return to his frontbench team unless the elections are reinstated.
Neither Jeremy Corbyn nor Owen Smith were present at the meeting as they were at a hustings elsewhere.
Labour MPs are to vote on Tuesday on whether to reinstate a system of electing shadow cabinet members, in an attempt to promote unity within the badly-split parliamentary party.
“I think we all suddenly realised that we are so used to politicians lying”, he said.
“And I just don’t see how with shadow cabinet elections. how you get over that hurdle”.
But crucially, Mr Corbyn received far higher support than his rival among Labour supporters, receiving 41.4% favourable ratings compared with Mr Smith’s 23.7%.
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He added: “How the shadow cabinet is made up is one part of that debate, including whether part of it should be elected by MPs, by members, or by conference”. Any review also needs to take account of the need to represent regions, nations, gender and ethnicity.
