Labour braces for civil war as anti-Corbyn MPs plot to OUST leader after election
LABOUR chiefs braced for a vicious new civil war to engulf the party from as early as Friday. As general election votes were being counted around the country, Jeremy Corbyn’s allies prepared to resist a fresh attempt at ousting him from the Labour leadership whatever the result.
Jeremy Corbyn ‘rejected’ by Labour voters says Michael Gove
Some anti-Corbynite Labour MPs have been plotting for months on how to prize the hard-line Left-winger out of office in a range of post-election scenarios. They have discussed both blocking him from becoming prime minister in a hung parliament or forcing him out of the leadership as quickly as possible if the Tories win a majority. But shadow chancellor John McDonnell is understood to have been quietly building support to ensure the hard-Left retains its grip on the party leadership.
One Labour insider said: “Over the last few days, the people around Corbyn and McDonnell have spinning that a small Tory majority should be seen as a great triumph for the party. They have been moving to shore up his position whatever the result.
“Obviously, lots of Labour moderates are ready to go on the attack once the election is over. But so many key people have already left the party, Corbyn’s position seems secure.”
Former Labour minister Ian Austin, who quit the party earlier this year and is now chairman of the anti-extremism group Mainstream, said: “I think the Labour Party will now tear itself to pieces.
“It's clear that John McDonnell will want to keep to Corbyn’s extremist path.
Jeremy Corbyn will face a challenge after his huge defeat (Image: Getty)
“The few moderates left in Labour will try and fight that. But there's no sign they will succeed. I really fear that the party is lost forever."
Mr Corbyn’s fiercest internal party critics have been plotting against the leader for months in a secret WhatsApp group.
As election speculation grew in October, they even discussed ousting him from the leadership at the start of the campaign but could not agree on a way forward.
Meanwhile, some trade union officials claim Mr McDonnell has long been exploring plans for him to step in as caretaker leader if Mr Corbyn quits in the coming days.
The shadow chancellor has been plotting for months how to keep control of the party machine to try to smooth the path for his hard-Left protege Rebecca Long-Bailey to take over.
Leaked WhatsApp messages between union officials suggested Mr McDonnell has looked at the idea of postponing a Labour leadership election until autumn next year.
Jeremy Corbyn will have to fight for his job (Image: Getty)
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Andrew Neil labels exit poll results 'catastrophe' for Labour
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Among the grassroots membership hard-line Corbynites are said to be determined to take revenge on the dwindling band of so-called “moderates” for criticism of the leadership in the run up to the general election.
They want to blame the so-called “Blairites” for undermining the Labour campaign by raising doubts about Mr Corbyn’s fitness for office.
Whatever the result, Labour is facing a searching inquest into the election campaign.
Some Labour candidates are known to be furious that the hard-left Momentum organisation that backs Mr Corbyn’s leadership has been directing activists only into constituencies where a hard-line Left-winger is standing for the party while ignoring others.
In the most divided party election campaign in living memory, Mr Corbyn has faced unprecedented levels of criticism from former party colleagues.
Just days before polling day, 15 former Labour MPs led by Mr Austin signed a joint letter warning that the Labour leader was not fit to be prime minister.
Labour’s bitter internal row over anti-semitism, which poisoned much of Mr Corbyn’s campaign, also threatens to fuel the coming battle over the party’s future.