MP for Rotherham Ms Champion, who was one of dozens of Labour frontbenchers who quit in protest at Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership last month, formally retracted her resignation in an email this afternoon.
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Questioned by Marr about allegations that Jeremy Corbyn’s allies broke into the office of Labour MP Seema Malhorta, McDonnell said: “Seema is a friend”.
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”.
In her letter to Mr Bercow, quoted by The Observer, Ms Malhotra names Mr Corbyn’s office manager, Karie Murphy, as one of the aides involved, and accuses her of being “aggressive and intimidating” towards the staff involved.
However, the survey by the Labour History Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin University uncovered very different results when councillors were asked how local members and supporters will vote in the leadership contest now underway.
Speaking on Saturday, Mr Corbyn condemned abuse among members, saying “it has no place in our party”.
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.
Labour signed up more than 183,000 new registered supporters in 48 hours last week, all of whom will now be eligible to vote, after paying the £25 fee imposed by the party’s national executive.
Before he announced his bid to unseat Mr Corbyn, Owen Smith claimed Mr McDonnell had himself said the party could split.
Mr Corbyn retained links with the leaders Sinn Fein for many years when they were shunned by other Westminster politicians because of the party’s historic link with the IRA.
“But I don’t know enough about the details”.
The row was seen as further evidence of a bullying culture presided over by the Labour leader and his supporters on the far Left.
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Since Jeremy Corbyn came onto the scene and started steering Labour away from the Thatcherism-lite economic policies of the Blair, era the party has more than doubled its membership to well over half a million people.
