Eagle demands clean campaign and condemns McDonnell

Angela Eagle today challenged her leadership rivals to run a clean campaign and rein-in any abusive supporters by staging a show of strength in Westminster.

Just hours after lambasting Corbynistas for “bullying” behaviour, the former shadow Cabinet minister launched a Keep it Comradely campaign.

Eagle condemned the words of John McDonnell, who last night labelled the Labour rebels “f***ing useless” for so far failing to oust Jeremy Corbyn.

The former shadow Business Secretary said she hopes both Corbyn and Owen Smith – who today launched his campaign – will sign up to the promises, as well as their supporters, as part of efforts to ensure there “no space for bullying and intimidation”.

Eagle was flanked byseveral big-hitters including former interim leader Harriet Harman, former shadow Chancellor Chris Leslie and former shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn.

“I want to make a discussion we can all be proud of – one where there is no space for bullying and intimidation that we have seen recently,” Eagle said.

“I hope all the other candidates in the leadership election and all their supporters – party members up and down the country – will sign up to this pledge.

“We don’t want to have a debate which is disfigured by bullying, intimidation, threats or the kind of language John McDonnell used last night.”

Corbyn has repeatedly criticised any use of insults or harrassment and yesterday said he “utterly” condemned the throwing of a brick through the window of Eagle’s constituency office.

Today Eagle asked the other leadership candidates to commit to five points for the Keep it Comradely campaign:

• Act in the best interests of the Labour Party.
• Take action if supporters’ use of social media is abusive, aggressive or threatening.
• Oppose pickets outside a candidate’s home, office or events.
• Allow all members to express their views free from the fear of intimidation.
• Unite at the end of the contest to fight the Tories and win the general election

Eagle outlined the policy with 16 other MPs who support her campaign who joined her in signing the pledge, including Stephen Kinnock, who outlined why he was supporting Angela for LabourList here.