Three Labour frontbenchers quit after Corbyn reshuffle

Three MPs quit the main opposition Labour Party’s frontbench team on Wednesday in protest over leader Jeremy Corbyn’s reshuffle in which a string of critics lost their jobs, highlighting deep divisions.

Abbott, on the other hand, is a north London politician who was a press officer for former London Mayor Ken Livingstone, head of PR at Lambeth Council, and a Labour councillor before she became an MP.

It came after Jeremy Corbyn sacked the Shadow Europe Minister, Pat McFadden over “disloyalty” after he appeared to criticise his stance on terrorism.

“I was therefore dismayed that two of our most able and experienced colleagues have been sacked for speaking out in the straight talking and honest way that I believe the public expect and want from their representatives – let alone when it comes to matters of national security”.

“And this building is full of people who speak at great length on lots of things, so I sat in my office until midnight for two nights running to go through all of this and we finally completed all the appointments last night”.

Meanwhile, shadow rail minister Jonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty, a shadow foreign minister, quit over the sacking of shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden.

McFadden joined the former culture spokesman, Michael Dugher, in announcing his own dismissal.

The leadership said Mr McFadden was sacked for comments he made in the Commons after the Paris outrages when he attacked the Left-wing view shared by Mr Corbyn that Western interventions in the Middle East provoked terrorist attacks.

On future free votes, Mr Corbyn will “represent the Parliamentary Labour Party at the front bench”.

Anti-Trident MP Emily Thornberry take the defence brief from Maria Eagle, paving the way for a unilateral defence policy.

Mr Corbyn, a long-time campaigner against nuclear weapons, is keen to change his party’s Trident policy.

Ms Eagle praised Mr Jones for his ” outstanding contribution to supporting and protecting our armed forces” and said it was a “privilege to work” with him.

He said nuclear disarmament is an issue that has divided the Labour Party, but added: “However, as you know from our discussions when you appointed me in this role, I do not agree with this view”.

“There were issues where there has been undermining of his(Corbyn’s) leadership and not accepting his mandate from the party members that he received in the election”, he told Sky News.

“I think millions of people will have seen Prime Minister’s Questions today as the Labour Party caring about what’s happening with the floods and the Government avoiding that”.

In the third day of Corbyn’s so-called “revenge reshuffle” Hilary Benn, the shadow Foreign Secretary who spoke in favour of Syria airstrikes, survived.

“I understand they are now before a solicitors’ tribunal…”

But he added: “I don’t dismiss people by text”.

Mr Corbyn said: “We have a Freedom of Information Act which is very, very important because freedom of information is essential in any democracy if you are to hold to account those that exercise authority, power or administration”.

Mr Dugher and Mr McFadden’s sackings triggered a backlash from a number of Labour MPs who expressed their regrets they had been removed from post.