Labour reshuffle: Ken Livingstone on Hilary Benn and Maria Eagle

Shadow foreign secretary Mr Benn has been widely considered to be facing the axe after he voted with the Government on bombing in while Mr Corbyn led opposition.

Those defending him included the deputy Labour leader, Tom Watson, Andy Burnham, Vernon Coaker, Gloria De Piero, Luciana Berger, Catherine McKinnell, Jonathan Ashworth and Lucy Powell. Emily Thornberry – now a junior justice spokeswoman – has also been suggested as an alternative shadow foreign secretary to Hilary Benn.

But reshuffles do matter, because they are a test of the authority of political leaders.

Shadow culture secretary Michael Dugher, seen as vulnerable, yesterday urged Mr Corbyn to see Labour as “a broad church not a religious cult”.

But what would the effect of a more modest reshuffle be?

But a leading Labour moderate said Mr Corbyn should avoid a “revenge reshuffle” of moderates who backed Syria air strikes.

“And it’s not illegitimate to remove a shadow foreign secretary who speaks for a minority of both the party and the PLP”.

The shadow defence secretary, Maria Eagle, has been told that she will be moved jobs, but won’t be demoted.

Veteran MP Ms Abbott has been a frequent cheerleader for Mr Corbyn on the airwaves and will be hoping that her loyalty will be rewarded with a promotion. He faces further confrontations this year over the renewal of Britain’s Trident nuclear missile system, which he opposes and Eagle supports.

“I’m sure Hilary would want to stay in and I’m sure Jeremy wants to keep him in”, said Mr Livingstone.

“I don’t think [sacking Michael Dugher] will make Labour’s chances of winning [in 2020] any greater”, he said.

As the reshuffle talks began on Monday Mr Corbyn moved journalists away from his office telling them: “Excuse me guys do you mind not hanging around outside my office door, could you all leave please”.

‘But to be quite frank, my initial inclination would be to say no’.

A shadow cabinet meeting is pencilled in for Tuesday lunchtime, so Mr Corbyn is likely to have to cancel it or complete his reshuffle by that deadline.

One of Mr Corbyn’s closest allies, shadow chancellor John McDonnell, warned on Sky News last week that Mr Benn, who has been touted as next Labour leader, needed to be “fully engaged”. That is a decision for Jeremy to take.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr McFadden said at the time: “Can I ask the Prime Minister to reject the view that sees terrorist acts as always being a response or a reaction to what we in the West do?” Kim Howells, a former foreign minister who has retired from Parliament, told the BBC the party needed to eject Corbyn and his supporters. They are not real politicians and I am afraid it is a disaster.

“This is no time for divisive reshuffles or an introspective debate about party structures”.

And he said: “I am against a new runway at Heathrow, but, unlike Jeremy Corbyn, I am very much in favour of a new runway at Gatwick Airport, because of the benefits of an increase in aviation capacity for jobs and growth”.