Seeking party control, Britain's opposition leader changes top team

Jan 10, 2016, 00:01

He said Mr McFadden and his allies, including the three shadow ministers who resigned in protest at his sacking, had distorted what Mr Corbyn told him on the telephone and had toured the airwaves to repeat their "lies".

Earlier on Tuesday Michael Dugher announced he had been sacked from the culture brief, with uncertainty still surrounding the fates of shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn and shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle.

Mr McFadden said he had been given the boot "in particular because of questions I asked about terrorism and national security in the Commons statement following the Paris terrorist attacks".

Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn retained his post, but reportedly only after he agreed to muzzle himself over policy differences with the Labour leader.

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Labour said yesterday that MP Emily Thornberry would replace defence spokesman Maria Eagle.

Mr Benn reached an agreement with Mr Corbyn that means on a free vote, where MPs vote according to conscience and not the party line, if he disagreed with the leader Mr Benn would have to give any speech from the back benches and not the front bench. "I'm going to be carrying on doing my job exactly as before, which is speaking for Labour on foreign policy, supporting Jeremy Corbyn and campaigning really hard to get Labour elected at the next general election". Labour's finance spokesman John McDonnell said that Corbyn had recently questioned some lawmakers' loyalty to his vision for the party.

This was just one example of many acrimonious disputes between the Labour leadership and those shadow ministers who were either given out or walked.

Ms Hollern fills the vacancy left in the defence team by Mr Jones's departure, while Ms Rayner joins the work and pensions team following Emily Thornberry's promotion from employment spokeswoman to shadow defence secretary.

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Mr Corbyn is in favour of scrapping Trident, but in his letter Mr Jones said: "I believe it is the right policy of the country to maintain a minimum credible nuclear deterrent while working to advance global nuclear disarmament".

Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn was tonight conducting a reshuffle of his junior ministerial ranks, although it is not known how long it will take after the initial shake-up lasted 36 hours. He told the BBC on Wednesday morning that Corbyn had told him he thought his comments were "an attack on him and that he had come to the conclusion because of that and one or two other things that I shouldn't continue".

"I am looking forward to working with my colleagues in the Labour Party holding the Government to account, but more importantly having an input into Labour's offer for local government".

Mr Livingstone was forced to apologise after he said that Mr Jones, who has previously opened up about his battle with depression, "might need psychiatric help" after the Durham MP voiced criticism of his appointment. Many Labour MPs have accused Corbyn of veering too far from the center.

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He denied renewing Trident would make the United Kingdom part of the nuclear arms race, saying the United Kingdom had the minimum amount to protect its security.