Corbyn-supporting MP calls for a halt to “personalised infighting” and proposes consultation strategy for the next leader

John McDonnell MP has written to his fellow MPs asking them to “draw a halt to the personalised infighting” and talk of “splits and breakaways if Jeremy Corbyn gets elected”. He has proposed a wide-ranging consultation process, involving all the leadership candidates, once the next leader is elected.

McDonnell who is Corbyn’s campaign agent has urged his fellow MPs to ensure that they do not given the impression that the party is internally divided.

This comes after senior Labour figures, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair, have warned against Corbyn winning the leadership election. John Mills, Labour donor, has also said that if Corbyn triumphs, there could be an “SDP-style split”

However, McDonnell, who has long been an ally of Corbyn’s tells Labour MPs that they should “just calm down and think seriously about the long-term future of the party” and the people they seek to represent.

The MP for Hayes and Harlington argues that regardless of who triumphs in September, there should be a process for uniting the party that means “the direction of the party rests firmly in the hands of our members.” 

He says that following the announcement of the new leader, all leadership candidates should be given joint responsibility of organising a “wide-ranging and detailed consultation on the party’s political strategy, policy programme and internal party decision-making processes.” He proposes that this should take place over three months at local CLP and regional level, resulting in a recall annual conference where final decisions would be made on the party’s direction.

You can read the full letter here:

Dear Colleague,

Like me I am sure that you will have been dismayed at some of the statements made by figures within the Labour movement that are allowing the media to give the impression to the general public of a party that is internally divided.

You and I know that this is not the case. In many ways this is just a little bit of the over excitement that often accompanies elections.

I share John Prescott’s view that everyone should just calm down and think seriously about the long-term future of the party and the people we seek to represent.

To reassure everyone that whatever the outcome of the leadership election we have a process for uniting the party, I am writing to propose a process to be adopted immediately following the election result that would ensure the fullest inclusion of everyone within the party in determining the party’s strategy for the coming period, its policy programme and its decision making processes.

In this way nobody would feel excluded and everybody would have a democratic say.

This involves ensuring that the direction of the party rests firmly in the hands of our members.

I propose that immediately following the leadership election the new leader announces that all the leadership candidates will be given the joint responsibility of organising a wide-ranging and detailed consultation on the party’s political strategy, policy programme and internal party decision-making processes.

For this process of party membership engagement at local CLP and regional levels to take place over a three month period culminating in a recall annual conference to take the final decisions on strategy, policy programme and democratic reform.

In this way the future direction of the party will be placed firmly in the hands of its members and so that the party can come together to oppose the Tories and the clear political strategy they are embarking upon which is so damaging to so many people in this country.

More importantly we must unite in order to lay the firm foundations for winning the next election.

Yours,

John McDonnell MP