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Labour crisis: Seema Malhotra accuses Jeremy Corbyn aides over ‘illegal’ office entry

Seema Malhotra, who resigned as shadow chief secretary to the Treasury last month in protest at Corbyn’s leadership of Labour, said she had evidence of three “illegal” attempts made to enter her office, two of which were successful.

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When she resigned from Mr Corbyn’s team on June 28, alongside 60 others, she Tweeted that she would continue to support “constituents, party or victims of abuse”.

Senior Labour MP Sarah Champion will resume her role on Labour’s front bench as Shadow Home Office Minister.

The key ally of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn made a direct pitch to party members as well as other MPs on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show, calling on the party to unite while arguing that his office manager who was accused of breaking in to Seema Malhotra’s office did not do anything wrong.

A spokesman said: “Momentum is dedicated to championing people’s rights at work both at home and overseas”.

In a series of messages on Twitter she said Mr Corbyn’s position was untenable and warned: “If we’re not united, we’re doomed”.

Michael Dugher MP, a former adviser to ex-Labour PM Gordon Brown, said: “I think she’ll be persuaded to seize the chance to go to the country sooner rather than later – maybe as early as October – if Jeremy Corbyn is still leader”.

Commenting on the party’s latest row, Mr Smith told BBC Radio London: ” Obviously people shouldn’t be going into MPs’ offices, obviously that’s abuse of parliamentary privilege.

Mr Smith, who said he would meet the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation target of spending 2% of GDP on defence, renew Trident and be prepared to push the button to launch a nuclear strike if he was in Number 10, said: “One of the weaknesses we have had recently is that people worry that Labour isn’t serious about security, that it is a lesser issue for Jeremy”.

“That is why I was disappointed to hear that the Labour party only plans to hold three hustings during the leadership contest”.

Mr McDonnell defended the member of staff from his office, saying there had been a simple misunderstanding.

Malhotra, the former shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, had claimed on Saturday that a member of McDonnell’s staff gained entry to her office without her permission, and had lodged a formal complaint with the speaker of the House of Commons.

Mr McDonnell said there was a “small group” within the party responsible for the current turmoil which has seen it beset by allegations of bullying, intimidation and abuse.

The Labour leader is favourite to win re-election during the contest this summer and leads his rival Owen Smith by more than 20 points according to the polls.

Mr Corbyn has denied the claim, and appealed to Labour MPs to talk politics instead of accusing him of being a bully and a hypocrite.

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The university’s Labour History Research Unit asked 350 councillors in the 125 seats most narrowly won and lost by Labour at the 2015 general election.

Shadow chancellor John Mc Donnell made a direct appeal to supporters Jeff Overs  BBC