There have also been allegations by MPs in favour of air strikes of abuse and intimidation on social media – but since this seems to be the preferred style of social media discourse perhaps too much should not be made of this. “The assessment of these threats is ongoing”.
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In one of the starkest criticism of the group yet, Caroline Flint, a former minister who served under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, compared its strategy to the Militant tendency in the 1980s.
Mr Corbyn attracted the ire of his own colleagues on Friday when, after a debate over what position the party should take, he sent them a letter insisting they should vote against bombing.
Rainham and Dagenham MP Mr Cruddas voted against the air strikes and said he was concerned they could further radicalise “homegrown jihadists”.
An electrifying speech on Syria air strikes by the foreign affairs spokesman of Britain’s Labour party brought together rival MPs in an emotional display but shone a spotlight on the opposition’s deep divisions.
“Considered in the light of what we now know, the Gulf War is seen to be a war for profit, oil and control of the region, ” he added.
To be fair to The Telegraph, it does have one columnist who admitted he doesn’t really understand what is going on with Labour right now.
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack has warned Labour MPs not to stand in the way of Jeremy Corbyn’s agenda for change. “And the party as a whole will not accept such behaviour, from whatever quarter it comes”, the email said.
Old Southwark and Bermondsey MP Neil Coyle, who voted in favour of bombing, has revealed that he feared for his pregnant wife’s safety after his home address was posted online by anti-war activists.
If Labour party members are involved, he said, “they need to be expelled”. And you’re a warmonger.’ It is not enough for Jeremy just to say this is bad and it shouldn’t happen.
“I have already asked him for a statement to protect Labour councillors and local Labour parties from some of the people who pretend they represent Corbyn”, he said. I am one of them. For Benn, as for most other front bench Labour politicians over the past century, the Labour Party is part of the sensible establishment that runs the state. “I had a death threat the other day for not voting for war”.
Left Unity published a list of members who supported military action yesterday, with the words “deselect them now written underneath”. The leader has made comments about a kinder, nice type of politics but it feels like there is a nasty kind politics that is developing …
Mr Danczuk said his staff received more than 100 calls from people complaining about his decision to vote for air strikes, and some of these were also threatening.
Labour veteran Ken Livingstone suggested on Thursday that those Labour MPs who defied their leader and backed military action should be pushed out of their seats.
Addressing his party directly, Benn said: “We must now confront this evil”. There can not be abuse of members of Parliament by members of the Labour Party or supporters of the Labour Party.
“There is a procedure to deal with such behaviour by Labour members and that is through the NEC”. It is the Labour Party.
“Those are things that Tony, who fought fascism in World War II, would understand”.
“Isis are devils and we should attack them and this attack is a positive step, but what is important is the strategy of these attacks”.
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A stark example of the disunity came as MPs prepared to vote, when protesters from Stop the War, a group previously chaired by Corbyn, chanted “Hilary Benn, shame on you!” outside parliament.
