Labour moderates fear Jeremy Corbyn’s henchmen will wipe them out in boundary changes ‘purge’
Critics of the veteran leftie face a tough fight to hold onto their jobs if the Boundary Commission plans are approved
MODERATE Labour MPs fear wipe out as a senior party official and Jeremy Corbyn supporter branded the boundary changes “an opportunity” to purge the “disloyal” members.
Momentum founder Darren William warned today: “Redrawing the boundaries does present an opportunity for the selection of some new candidates who may be more in tune with the views of ordinary party members.”
Many of Mr Corbyn’s fiercest critics including Ruth Smeeth, Stephen Kinnock, Tristram Hunt and even Labour challenger Owen Smith face tough fights to cling on to a Commons seats under the draft plans published by the Boundary Commission yesterday.
Mr Corbyn’s lefty henchman – who sits on Labour’s ruling NEC body – added: “Where MPs have consistently demonstrated a disloyalty to the party leader and to the views on which he was elected, then I think party members are within their rights to ask whether those MPs should continue to represent them.”
But Labour moderate Wayne David called the threats from Momentum “a recipe for civil war inside the party.”
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However Labour Shadow Cabinet member Jon Ashworth insisted the process was “not about deselecting MPs”.
Mr Williams’ comments did not represent “the position of Jeremy or his people”, he told the BBC.
Mr Ashworth said the party had “a very clear process” for dealing with boundary changes.
“If your seat disappears - like Jeremy Corbyn’s seat apparently does - but you have some territorial claim to a neighbouring seat - as Jeremy Corbyn does apparently with the Finsbury Park and Stoke Newington seat - you have the right to contest that seat.
He added: “This is not about deselecting MPs.”
Today Tory party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin said: “Momentum’s aim to use this process to boot out moderate Labour MPs is not an argument against these vital reforms, which will ensure fairness across the United Kingdom.”