Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Watson: We’ve got to change
would come – and I fear now that unless we change, we may see more days like this.”
Mr Watson admitted he felt “deep sadness” at the resignations and insisted the MPS were not traitors.
He added: “I am sad to say that a virulent form of identity politics has seized the Labour Party.”
The deputy expressed his “complete respect” for one of the rebel MPS, Luciana Berger, who has been targeted by anti-semites.
Mr Watson said: “If someone like Luciana no longer believes there is a home for her in the Labour Party then many other colleagues will be asking themselves how they can stay.”
Borrowing a slogan used by Mr Corbyn during his 2015 leadership campaign, he said the party needed to be “kinder and gentler”.
LOSING MEMBERS
He added: “I love this party but sometimes I no longer recognise it.”
Tens of thousands of Labour members who signed up to support Mr Corbyn have either quit or allowed their memberships to lapse.
Mr Watson warned Labour was “losing members and now losing MPS”, saying: “We need to broaden out so that all the members of our broad church feel welcome.”
He called for a shake-up of the leader’s frontbench to reflect the “balance of opinion” in the Parliamentary Labour Party.
But Mr Corbyn resisted calls to change policy positions – and instead blasted the seven who broke away.
He said: “I am disappointed that these MPS have felt unable to continue to work together for the Labour policies that inspired millions at the last election and saw us increase our vote by the largest share since 1945.”