The Labour leader aims to enable the party’s 600,000-strong membership to elect some of the shadow cabinet in Westminster and give activists a direct say in policy.
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Earlier on Tuesday, Tom Watson urged Labour to “put the band back together” by adopting elections for shadow cabinet positions, which he sees as a way to tempt back discontented MPs who left Corbyn’s frontbench over the summer.
It comes after Mr Smith said Labour was “sleepwalking towards an electoral disaster” which could tear it apart if Mr Corbyn remains leader.
Mr Smith claimed pro-Corbyn pressure group Momentum is actively attempting to take over local parties and force the deselection of rebellious colleagues. To start disenfranchising them will merely serve to dampen their enthusiasm.
“I will continue to make these arguments – I am not going anywhere”, said Mr Smith, saying he was determined to make Labour “electable”.
Despite previously suggesting that Mr Corbyn should stand down amid a mass revolt by MPs, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the leader could “easily” become Prime Minister.
Mr Watson said he was “open minded on both options” and the priority should be getting all Labour’s “traditions and talents” into the top team.
Mr Watson said changes made under Ed Miliband to the way in which the Labour leader is elected were “very rushed” as he advocated moving away from the system of one member one vote.
“It’s an attempt to further cement his position and use the membership as a means of driving a wedge between the MPs and his leadership”.
OWEN SMITH began laying the ground for a likely defeat in the Labour leadership election yesterday after claiming he did not want to challenge Jeremy Corbyn.
The deputy leader also said he would be asking the NEC to look at the way the party elects its leader, but the changes would not come into place until the new leader had resigned.
“I think we’ve got change what we do, how we campaign. whoever wins that leadership we’ve got to swing in around that leader”.
Former deputy Labour leader Margaret Beckett described the situation as alarming.
The West Bromwich MP wants to exclude registered supporters – people who can pay a one-off £25 fee – from having a say in future elections.
“And Jeremy doesn’t seems to be very good at disassociating himself from it”.
Mr Smith also voiced concerns over shadow chancellor John McDonnell, a close ally of Mr Corbyn.
He added: “For me the heart of the party is the Parliamentary party. We are not campaigning for mandatory selection”.
Because the polls on Jeremys leadership have been worse than theyve ever been for any leader of the Labour Party in living memory.
The National Executive Committee will decide whether to reintroduce votes and what system to take forward, if any.
“It’s about democratising our party”. Some 3,000 people rallied in support of him in the city.
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Mr Coyle added: “Jeremy was the most rebellious backbencher for 30 years, and yet somehow – it is utter hypocrisy really – he somehow does not like it when his own backbenchers disagree with him”. Or alternatively would you like to see Labour prosper once more?
