Leader of Britain’s divided Labour Party fires party rebels

Britain’s opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has sacked his European Union policy chief for disloyalty and moved his pro-nuclear defence spokeswoman to another job in an attempt to tighten control over his rebellious parliamentary party.

In a letter to Jeremy Corbyn, Jonathan Reynolds said Mr McFadden “was right to condemn those who would to any degree absolve Isis [Islamic State] for their actions following the atrocities in Paris”.

Mr Reynolds, MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, also insisted he wanted “more freedom” to speak out about the future direction of the party.

Cardiff South and Penarth MP Stephen Doughty quit as shadow foreign affairs minister live on television, telling the BBC’s Daily Politics programme that he had “looked at his own conscience” and was stepping down after the leader’s office told “lies” about the reasons why Europe spokesman Pat McFadden had been dismissed.

Among the most high-profile mooted victims are shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn – who backed air strikes on Syria and shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle who favours the renewal of the UK’s nuclear deterrent.

The changes, finalised after more than 30 hours of apparently bitter wrangling at 12.45am, were less dramatic than many had predicted.

As with Dugher’s dismissal Tuesday, which was followed by a series of tributes from remaining members of the shadow cabinet, McFadden’s departure was marked by warm words from some of those left behind.

Jeremy Corbyn is expected to press ahead with a controversial reshuffle of his shadow cabinet, amid warnings that the party “is a broad church, not a religious cult”.

This morning shadow chancellor John McDonnell said McFadden was sacked for “undermining Jeremy’s status” and “distorted” the Labour leader’s views on terrorism in the wake of the Paris attacks. Labour MP Ian Austin attacked the changes, saying: “I don’t believe it is about loyalty at all”.

On reflection regarding yesterday’s Labour reshuffle, I have decided that it’s best if I serve the Party as a backbencher.

He told Premier’s News Hour that it was his faith that drove his decision: “I personally feel it’s not the decision for me to be part of the Labour front bench at this time”.

Corbyn, the veteran left-winger, has promised to re- energise the Labour party after it lost its second consecutive election in May previous year to David Cameron’s Conservative Party. “If there’s a disagreement and people – on a free vote – want to express their views, they’ll do it from the backbenches”, he said.

Mr Benn said he was “r eally sad to lose” Mr Doughty from the front bench, adding he would “miss his wisdom, insight and comradeship”. He wasn’t wandering around slagging Tony Blair off or Ed Miliband.

He said: “I actually wrote what I thought”.

“Reshuffles are always hard because you always have people who have given good service to the party who get moved on”.

McFadden said splits at the top of Labour over the issue were substantial.

It comes despite the fact Ms Thornberry sparked a storm in 2014 when claimed she had “never seen anything like it” after tweeting a picture of a terraced home in Rochester with three England flags and a white van parked in the drive.