GMB’s Kenny warns Corbyn on Labour Trident policy

Labour’s Shadow Attorney General Catherine McKinnell has quit the shadow cabinet over concerns about the direction of Labour under leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The shadow attorney general became the first full member of the shadow cabinet to resign under Corbyn and will now have to be replaced, meaning the Labour leader’s reshuffle of his top team will stretch into an unprecedented eighth day.

“My whole election programme was based on the need for ordinary people to be able to participate much more in politics”, he said.

In an interview that alarmed Labour modernisers, he said grassroots members would get a “big say” in whether to change the current policy that backs the renewal of Britain’s nuclear weapons system.

Michael Dugher was sacked from his role as Shadow Culture Secretary and Wolverhampton MP Pat McFadden was sacked as Shadow Minister for Europe – with Mr Corbyn’s staff accusing both of being “disloyal” and “incompetent”.

Mr Corbyn is likely to be grilled on the issue if he attends the regular meeting this evening of the parliamentary party – the majority of which is thought to be in favour of the nuclear deterrent.

GMB and fellow nuclear union Unite indicated they would vote against anti-Trident motions if they were heard, but at Scottish Labour’s conference the following month Unite voted for a successful motion committing the party to disarmament north of the border.

The former Oasis star, who famously endorsed New Labour as they swept to power in 1997, says Tony Blair’s years in opposition were “amazing” but admitted he was left disappointed by their record in office.

Other messages included what appears to contain an offensive message for what appears to be Australians due to the slang term “straya”, as well as mockery of the Labour leader over his position on the nuclear missile program, Trident.

The jibe – delivered during bitter infighting over Mr Corbyn’s reshuffle – triggered the resignation of Alison McGovern, who chairs Progress, from a party policy review on child poverty. Of course people are entitled to want to change policy.

The GMB leader said there were tens of thousands of jobs at around 50 sites in the United Kingdom that depended on defence contracts. But there is a process and there are rules. I think they’re either in the wrong game or fibbing if they don’t say, ‘if you had the opportunity to be in charge and put in place your vision for a better Britain would you take it?’ “We want their voices heard in this debate”.