Party deputy ‘on Corbyn camp hit list’
JEREMY Corbyn will take aim at West Bromwich MP Tom Watson as part of a “100-day blitz” of his dissenters.
The Labour leader has ordered a team of advisers to draw up a secret plan if he remains in charge to purge the party machine of opponents, according to the Mirror.
Deputy leader Mr Watson is perhaps the highest profile name linked to the list but general secretary Iain McNicol also faces the axe along with others deemed unhelpful or hostile by the leader’s office.
Proposals will be put forward by trade union allies at Labour’s autumn conference, which comes the day after the leadership result is announced on September 24, to overhaul Labour rules and give more power to Corbyn supporters.
The make-up of Labour’s ruling national executive committee will be changed and a raft of party rules rewritten to make Labour “more democratic” for its members – which would strengthen Mr Corbyn’s hand.
A source told the Mirror: “The mistake we made last year was probably to be too concessionary. We left people in place at HQ. We did not try to change the structures. But we have to make sure we’re not back here again in another year’s time.
“The only way we turn this around is to remain and reform, so the party reflects the structural changes it underwent last year.”
In addition to a purge of party staffers, Mr Corbyn’s team also have Mr Watson in their sights – despite his landslide victory in last year’s deputy leadership contest.
The two men initially worked well together but fell out spectacularly in June when Mr Watson tried to broker an exit for Mr Corbyn as leader.
On Sunday night Mr Corbyn backed a rule change that would ensure in the future either the leader or deputy leader is always a woman.
Allies of Mr Corbyn then briefed journalists that the pledge could put pressure on Mr Watson – sparking a bitter row between the two camps.
The leader’s office are now also considering a change to Labour’s rule book that would impose a time limit on the deputy leadership, potentially hastening Mr Watson’s departure.
It could be part of the package of “pro-democracy” changes debated at next month’s conference in Liverpool.
A senior source in the Corbyn reelection campaign told the Mirror: “Tom says he’s got a mandate from the members – but the truth is he probably no longer has that mandate any more.
“He has upset the trade unions and he has upset people on the left and the right of the party. At the moment there is no term time for a deputy leader. We think that is absurd and anachronistic. A lot of people are scratching their heads and looking at this at the moment.”
A spokesman for Mr Watson dismissed any call for regular re-elections for the deputy leadership, saying: “Jeremy has been consistent in saying that a mandate shouldn’t be tested every year.”
The Corbyn team’s 100-day postelection plan also includes proposals for “peace and reconciliation” with the raft of Labour MPs who resigned in the wake of the EU referendum defeat, reports claim.
Peace offerings being discussed in an effort to improve relations include allowing Labour MPs to elect several members of the shadow cabinet, and appointing staffers to the leader’s office who are respected by rebel MPs.