A “Revenge Reshuffle” Could Lead To Labour Becoming A “Cult”, Warns Shadow

Ken Livingstone, a key ally of Corbyn, who 24 hours ago suggested Benn should be moved to a brief such as environment, said on Tuesday he thought the leader had never meant to move his shadow foreign secretary, who has now stopped being so “dissident and critical”.

He said: “Michael Dugher is a rare politician – a talented working-class MP who hasn’t lost his strong Yorkshire roots”.

He said it was possible that Labour aides had been exaggerating the idea that there would be a “revenge” reshuffle against dissenters, but added: “There is a danger for him in carrying out a reshuffle as a sort of punishment for shadow ministers who disagreed with him”.

“I think that’s really what we need as Parliament comes back next week”.

Lewis, a new MP who has served in the army in Afghanistan, said he would not be keen to take on a shadow cabinet role so quickly.

In a message on Twitter, the Barnsley East MP announced: “Just been sacked by Jeremy Corbyn”.

Mr Corbyn could also use his reshuffle to promote female MPs to top shadow cabinet posts.

Jeremy Corbyn is expected to reveal details of his reshuffled shadow cabinet later after a series of meetings with senior colleagues last night.

“There were doubts as to whether a shadow cabinet could be put together at all”.

She has publicly criticised Mr Corbyn over his strong opposition to renewing Trident and is expected to be moved to a job where she shares more in common with the leadership.

Mr Dugher added: “In truth, I don’t see it happening and the reason why I don’t see it happening is because I think it would be inconsistent with what Jeremy has talked about since he got the leadership, which is about room for a little dissent, about having debates”.

Emerging from the party leader’s office, she told journalists: “I don’t have anything to say to you”.

“Is it best to have Hilary [Benn] in a job where he’s going to disagree with Jeremy [Corbyn] again and again or should he be in one like Environment where they’re in complete agreement?”, Mr Livingstone told BBC News.

Lilian Greenwood, shadow transport secretary, and Jon Ashworth, the shadow cabinet minister, have backed comments made by Michael Dugher warning that a “revenge reshuffle” would drown out the party’s attacks on the government.

Several shadow cabinet sources told the Mirror a mass walk-out was highly likely if Mr Benn was sacked.

David Cameron joked in the Commons that “you could have watched the whole run of Star Wars movies” since the reshuffle began on Monday as he apologised for “interrupting the longest reshuffle in history”. However, any attempt to move Benn or Eagle risks sparking a confrontation with the wider parliamentary party. “Hilary Benn and Maria Eagle is there is no question about their competence to be shadow ministers”.