‘Sabotage’ storm as Eagle launches Corbyn challenge

Union barons’ fury as Watson axes peace talks Leader vows to fight on for sake of ‘Corbynistas’ Rival accuses him of failing in duty to Labour

LABOUR’S bitter civil war deepened dramatically yesterday with the launch of a formal challenge against Jeremy Corbyn and claims of ‘sabotage’ by union barons.

Angela Eagle, the ex-Shadow Business Secretary, fired the starting gun on a leadership contest by accusing Mr Corbyn of failing to lead an ‘effective’ Opposition and declaring she would stand against him.

Mr Corbyn vowed to fight Ms Eagle, with a spokesman insisting he will not ‘betray’ the hundreds of thousands of party members who elected him.

Ms Eagle threw down the gauntlet after the collapse of peace talks between deputy party leader Tom Watson and union leaders aimed at resolving the leadership crisis. Mr Watson pulled the plug on the talks, saying there was ‘no realistic prospect’ of compromise.

But union baron Len McCluskey, boss of Unite, moved to prop up Mr Corbyn and accused Mr Watson of ‘an act of sabotage fraught with peril for the future of the party’.

Accusing Mr Watson of a ‘deeply disingenuous manoeuvre’, he said he had made it clear ‘that Mr Corbyn’s resignation was not on the agenda’.

Labour is now set to stage a divisive leadership contest in which contenders such as rising star Welsh MP Owen Smith could throw their hat in the ring. The party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) will hold an emergency meeting this week. It will make a crucial ruling which will determine if Mr Corbyn can stand.

Mr Corbyn’s critics say that, like Ms Eagle, he must be nominated by 51 Labour MPs. However, his allies say as leader he has the automatic right to go on the ballot paper. Mr Corbyn’s critics claimed last night several NEC members are ready to insist he needs 51 backers.

His allies are confident that if he is allowed to stand, Mr Corbyn will win a repeat of his massive victory last year thanks to continued support from party members. It is claimed most of an extra 100,000 who have joined Labour in recent weeks are also fervent ‘Corbynistas’.

But Labour MPs feared that either side could challenge the leadership rules in the courts.

Ms Eagle’s announcement ended weeks of speculation. She said Mr Corbyn had ‘failed to fulfil his first and foremost duty, to lead an organised and effective Parliamentary Labour Party’.

A defiant Mr Corbyn showed no sign of throwing in the towel in a speech calling for Labour unity at the Durham Miners’ Gala. Amid cheers from an audience of more than 100,000, he denied Labour MPs’ lack of confidence in him was ‘demeaning’.