Ms Champion, who left in protest at Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, sent an email to Mr Corbyn stating that she had retracted her original resignation.
Advertisement
The BBC’s assistant political editor said Mr Corbyn’s advisers were “overjoyed” and said it raised the prospect of whether the MP was a one-off or whether others who had walked out of the Labour leader’s top team were now having second thoughts.
“She is very passionate about her brief and we have got a job to do opposing the Government and obviously we are very pleased to be welcoming her back”, they said.
The complaint is the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the embattled Labour leader, whose leadership has been challenged by Owen Smith after a large section of party MPs expressed their lack of confidence in Corbyn.
In a statement, Ms Malhotra said staff working for Mr Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell had gained “unauthorised entry into my office in parliament”.
She said at the time: “I have just stepped down from my shadow minister job, but not my responsibilities to my constituents, party or victims of abuse”.
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.
“I know people are angry about actions that have been taken but where we have disagreement in our party we settle it through democratic means – no coups, no intimidation, no abuse”.
The MP for Rotherham was one of dozens to step down in an attempt to unseat Mr Corbyn.
“Put plainly, there is simply too much of it taking place and it needs to stop”.
Seema Malhotra has written to the speaker to complain of a “breach of parliamentary privilege” along with “aggressive and intimidating” behaviour from Mr Corbyn’s office manager Karie Murphy.
McDonnell’s comments follow reports in the Observer that one of his staff had entered the office of Malhotra, who last month quit as shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, without her permission. This is a breach of parliamentary privilege and is a violation of the privacy, security and confidentiality of a member of parliament’s office.
Some54 percent of Labour supporters expressed approval of Corbyn’s leadership after nearly a year in the top position, while 24 percent said they disapprove his performance.
Advertisement
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.
