Don’t let MPS vote on leader, says Corbyn ally

LABOUR MPS should play no role in deciding who can run for the party leadership, a key ally of Jeremy Corbyn has claimed.

Chris Williamson, the shadow fire minister, suggested MPS who wanted to keep the existing rules, which mean that 15 per cent of the Parliamentary Labour Party need to back a candidate for them to stand, were “frightened of democracy”.

His comments come ahead of what is expected to be a fierce battle at the party conference in Brighton next month over plans which would make it easier for a hard-left successor to Mr Corbyn to make it onto the ballot paper by reducing the support threshold to just five per cent.

Mr Williamson told The Guardian: “There shouldn’t be a leadership threshold at all. That needs to change. Who are the PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party]? They are a tiny percentage of the party. If we’re going to have a threshold, it should be CLPS [Constituency Labour Parties]. Why are people so frightened of democracy?”

The row over the mechanics of the party’s leadership elections has been rumbling on for months, with Mr Corbyn’s team wanting to reduce the proportion of MPS whose support is required to stand for the leadership.

Mr Williamson said it was “difficult to predict” whether the move to lower the threshold would receive enough support to be agreed, but added that “it’s looking very, very positive”.

The proposed rule change has been dubbed the ‘Mcdonnell amendment’ in honour of John Mcdonnell, the shadow chancellor, who failed to reach the 15 per cent threshold in 2007 and 2010.