Labour with Owen Smith as leader will push to give Britain a second referendum on European Union membership after a deal is struck on the terms of membership.
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Hartlepool’s grassroots Labour members feel betrayed by the revolt against Jeremy Corbyn, says a local party chief.
Labour’s leadership coup descended into farce yesterday as a second “unity candidate” emerged to challenge Jeremy Corbyn.
Mr McDonnell said Labour members would have been “distressed” if Mr Corbyn was blocked from taking part in the election, adding: “This will be a democratic decision.
”Last year’s contest was amicable and I think it will be the same this time.
”Whoever emerges as leader, we have got to respect the decision of our members and unite behind them”.
The union also overwhelmingly voiced support for Mr Corbyn – and it is feared re-selection battles would be used by pro-Corbynites to try and remove his critics.
The MP for Pontypridd, who is challenging Jeremy Corbyn and Angela Eagle for the Labour leadership, claimed people he had spoken to felt they had been “sold a pup” by Leave campaigners.
There will be a window lasting just two days for registered supporters to sign up – between Monday 18 July and 5pm on Wednesday 20 July.
In Bolton, North East MP David Crausby and several senior Labour councillors have joined voices calling on Mr Corbyn to resign – although union bosses and many local members disagree.
Yesterday, after six hours of negation, Labour’s National Executive Committee ruled Mr Corbyn should be included on the ballot despite opponents arguing the leader needed 51 MPs to support him.
Tom Watson, the Labour deputy leader, criticised the legal bid as “very unhelpful and destabilising” to the Labour party. “The advice that was taken was certainly not given the expert consideration that it would receive from a High Court judge and everyone in the room had a different political agenda”, he told the BBC.
The move could help those who wish to remove Corbyn.
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He said: “If he stands down and makes this leadership contest a proper contest between credible candidates capable of becoming prime minister, I will engage”.
