Labour rifts deepen as key Corbyn ally Murphy is moved out of leader’s office
Chief of staff sent to HQ to prepare for election after policy guru resignation and botched bid to oust Watson
‘She is a hero of our party... Her drive, commitment and sheer political determination is awesome’
JEREMY CORBYN has lost one of his closest allies as splits in the Labour leader’s top team deepen.
Karie Murphy, once considered to be an influential figure in Mr Corbyn’s inner circle, has been moved out of the Labour leader’s office and will work from the party’s headquarters on election campaign preparations.
The departure of the party leader’s chief of staff comes just three weeks after Andrew Fisher, his policy guru, resigned, citing a “lack of professionalism, competence and human decency” from some at the top of the party.
It is understood Mr Fisher’s departure, along with a botched attempt to remove Tom Watson as deputy leader last month, led some at the top to demand Ms Murphy be demoted.
John Mcdonnell, the shadow chancellor, is said to have been among those in Mr Corbyn’s circle to be unhappy with Ms Murphy, who has drawn criticism for her management style.
Yesterday, several Labour sources said Mr Corbyn personally told Ms Murphy he had lost confidence in her. His spokesman said Mr Corbyn firmly rejected suggestions the Labour leader had delivered such a message.
Ms Murphy joined the Labour leader’s office in February 2016, having previously worked for Mr Watson before he became deputy leader.
Labour MPS loyal to Mr Corbyn took to Twitter to show their support for Ms Murphy as rumours that she had been moved against her will took hold.
Ian Lavery, the party chairman, described it as a “brilliant move”, adding: “She is a hero of our party and movement. Her drive, commitment and sheer political determination is awesome.”
Also shifting from the leader’s office to Labour’s Southside headquarters in Victoria, central London, is Amy Jackson, Mr Corbyn’s political director.
Ms Murphy’s move – described as a secondment by a Labour source – comes less than three weeks after Mr Fisher announced he would quit as an adviser to Mr Corbyn.
On leaving, he penned a memo attacking the leader’s team, adding he was sick of their “blizzard of lies and excuses”. He cited The Telegraph’s revelation that Labour planned to ban private schools as a reason for his departure.
Among a list of grievances, he wrote: “I find out that JC’S major policy announcement for conference has been leaked to The Telegraph.”
Mr Fisher also queried the Labour response to the ongoing war in Syria, writing: “A tweet was drafted for Jeremy in light of the recent Russian bombing of hospitals in Idlib. The tweet condemned Syrian and US bombings in Syria (I kid you not).”
The memo, which he insisted should not be shared widely, also reveals a lack of co-ordination ahead of the party’s annual conference.
He wrote: “Despite a strapline having been promised by the end of August since mid-july, there is still no conference strapline, with conference just one week away. Tens of thousands of pounds have been spent on focus groups and polling for this and there is no end-product, just a blizzard of lies and excuses.”
The party eventually opted for the slogan “Party before privilege” for the conference.