Many moderate Labour MPs have never reconciled themselves to Corbyn’s election as leader last September, secured thanks to strong support among ordinary party members.
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“I think we have to have the person who is most likely to beat Jeremy Corbyn and I think that’s me”, said Eagle while sitting alongside Smith on the same programme.
That vote led to virtually all of his front bench team resigning from his shadow cabinet, leaving Corbyn with insufficient MPs to fill his front bench jobs.
“We have a wider gap between the haves and have nots in this country than any of us have known in our lifetimes and it is for the Labour Party, our party, to fight to reduce that gap”.
Gateshead MP Ian Mearns tweeted: “Up to the membership of the party now as it should be”.
He denounced incidents such as the brick thrown through Ms Eagle’s constituency office window as “scandalous”, but denied they were committed by Corbyn supporters.
Britain’s opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday won a crucial victory against rebels seeking to unseat him, after the party’s executive committee ruled he would automatically be included on a leadership ballot.
By a margin of 18-14, the NEC found that party rules give Corbyn the right to automatic inclusion in the contest.
The poll was conducted before former shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith joined the leadership race.
“I am calling on all Labour Party members and supporters to act with calm and treat each other with respect and dignity, even where there is disagreement”.
The MP for Pontypridd says Labour needs both a “radical and credible” leader and claims said he could “heal” the party.
Mr Corbyn – who was chosen as party leader in September with almost 60% of first preference votes – said he hoped his opponents would try to legally challenge the decision.
The NEC made the decision by secret ballot during a meeting at Labour’s Victoria headquarters on Tuesday afternoon, which Corbyn attended.
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Bernadette Gallagher, secretary of Bolton Unison said she was very pleased that this week’s meeting of Labour’s National Executive Committee voted for the current leader to be on the election ballot. Instead the price has been increased to £25, while full-time members must have been affiliated to the party for at least six months to vote – barring the 100,000 new members who joined in recent weeks.
