Chuka Umunna today demanded Jeremy Corbyn give MPs a free vote on Syrian air strikes and attacked his leader’s decision to hand Ken Livingstone a key defence job.
He also said threats of deselection had to stop against moderate Labour MPs across the country.
Asked today if he would give MPs a free vote, Mr Corbyn told the BBC: “No, we would have to consider it as a party, consider it as a group and decide how we would react at that point.”
Pressure was further heaped on the Labour leader by former cabinet minister Lord Reid who said the party’s performance during a torrid week “doesn’t look competent”.
It came as left-wingers secured key positions at a meeting of the Labour party in the seat of popular party figure Stella Creasy.
Nancy Taaffe, the daughter of militant leader Peter Taaffe said she was working with Labour figures in the constituency and called for dual Labour-Socialist Party membership and the reselection of Labour MPs.
Mr Corbyn was savaged at a meeting of MPs earlier this week for his stance over the Paris attacks and Syria, which risks a damaging rebellion.
But Streatham MP Mr Umunna said: “It’s absolutely fundamental that we have a free vote when that comes.”
He also slammed the “nasty troll form of politics” that he claimed has confronted MPs opposing Mr Corbyn.
Mr Umunna lamented an attack by Mr Livingstone, who this week said a shadow minister who had questioned his appointment to a defence review needed “psychiatric help” —despite the critic having previously been open about his personal battle with depression. Mr Umunna said: “Frankly that is why I think Ken is completely inappropriate to be a co-convenor of our group looking at a defence policy.”
Lord Reid called on Labour’s “new generation” to solve the problems, adding: “It doesn’t look coherent if when the leader says something, within a day a shadow cabinet person — and a series of them — have to come out, disagree, contradict, clarify or say he wasn’t saying...it doesn’t look competent.”
The battle also flared in the Walthamstow constituency of Ms Creasy where left-wingers secured key positions.
Elements of the political left outside Labour are already working with party members through the new Waltham Forest For Corbyn group. Ms Taaffe, operating within the group, confirmed joint initiatives such as a housing demonstration due tomorrow and joint lobbying of Ms Creasy on air strikes.
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She said: “Under the barrage of attacks Jeremy faces we think there’s a need for a focused conference or meeting involving all the political forces that have been fighting austerity.”
Asked if she backed dual membership she said: “Yes. Stella Creasy is a member of both Labour and the Co-Op party — why can’t I be a member of Labour and the Socialist Party?”
