His comments came after former shadow minister Seema Malhotra disclosed she had lodged a formal complaint with the Speaker John Bercow after staff working for Mr Corbyn and Mr McDonnell entered her House of Commons office without permission.
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Since the police search of MP Damian Green’s office in 2008, it has been accepted that only a search warrant can justify an entry of a parliamentary office without the wishes of an MP.
Ms Malhotra’s staff say that Mr Corbyn’s team knew that they were still waiting to be relocated by the whips’ office and had offered to swap offices with the new shadow minister, but this had been turned down.
“But there are rumours at Westminster that Jeremy Corbyn is starting to reach out to some of those shadow ministers who may well have resigned”.
Speaking on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show, Mr McDonnell challenged critics of the leadership to confront them directly and not to “pick on” staff who were not in a position to defend themselves. There is a small group out there that are willing to destroy our party just to remove Jeremy Corbyn.
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said an aide had been checking when the office would be vacated, and denied intimidation.
But with the rift between the leadership and the party’s MPs showing no signs of ending, Mr McDonnell acknowledged there would have to be some form of mediation once the current leadership contest is over.
Labour MP Graham Jones called the appearance a “train wreck”.
Sarah Champion, who suggested Labour was “doomed” if it did not unite when she quit in June, was among scores of frontbenchers to resign in protest at Mr Corbyn’s leadership. “I think she’ll be persuaded to go to the country sooner rather than later – maybe as early as October – if Jeremy Corbyn is still Labour leader after the September contest”. She has been squatting in the office for a month now despite having a perfectly good one to move into’.
An Opinium survey found more than half of voters (52%) would back the PM, while her rival would pull in less than a fifth (16%). As an office manager on the Leader of the Opposition’s floor, Karie has a key to open all offices.
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However, a spokesman for Corbyn confirmed the re-appointment, stating: “Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Champion MP who is re-joining the Labour’s front bench as shadow home office Minister, focusing on women, equality and domestic violence”. Time to end piffle’.
