De-select MPS over Russia stance, says Corbyn ally

A KEY ally of Jeremy Corbyn has suggested moderate Labour MPS who blame Russia for the spy poisoning are “enemies” who should be deselected.

Chris Williamson, the Labour MP for Derby North, said MPS who had decided Moscow was “unequivocally” to blame were “baying for blood” and suggested they face de-selection.

“Frankly I see them as political enemies… I have been advocating for a long time now for mandatory re-selection,” said Mr Williamson.

Mr Corbyn is under intense pressure over his failure to condemn Russia over the attack, but Mr Williamson said: “It’s exactly the sort of response you want from a leader, rather than the knee-jerk response you are getting from the Tories and one or two on our own benches.”

Mr Williamson was speaking at a Momentum meeting in Ealing, west London, on Thursday according to a report on the Huffington Post website.

He said: “I don’t know if anyone saw the debate in the House of Commons yesterday, my God, it was unbelievable. I mean these characters, they are like baying for blood. Some of them would be quite happy were we to enter into a hot war. Regrettably we have a few on our own benches who are likeminded.”

By last night, 33 Labour MPS had signed a Commons motion that “unequivocally accepts the Russian state’s culpability for the poisoning of Yulia and Sergei Skripal in Salisbury”.