Senior U.K. Labour MP Warns Corbyn Against Creating `Politburo’

He had warned Mr Corbyn he would end up with a “politburo of seven” at the top of the party if he attempted to use a reshuffle to surround himself with allies from the Labour left.

Mr Dugher, a close ally of former prime minister Gordon Brown, voted in favour of United Kingdom military action in Syria in last month’s free vote in the House of Commons.

Among those at risk of losing their roles during a reshuffle are Hilary Benn, who backed airstrikes against self-styled Islamic State in Syria with a high profile speech, and shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle, who reportedly is at odds with Corbyn over the renewal of Trident.

Livingstone said he believed it was “quite likely” that Benn would be asked to swap jobs with the shadow home secretary, Andy Burnham, as speculation has suggested, though he insisted he did not know whether this was what Corbyn was planning.

Mr Dugher told Pienaar’s Politics on BBC Radio Five Live: “Reshuffles are a matter for the leadership”.

Jeremy Corbyn is preparing to change his top team in a reshuffle that could turn Labour into a “religious cult”, according to a shadow minister.

The chaos came amid grim new polling figures for the Labour leader, with David Cameron enjoying significant leads on key measures such as leadership and the economy.

Mr Dugher said he had been removed for speaking out about the systematic “trashing” of the reputations of shadow cabinet colleagues briefed to the media to be in danger from a “revenge reshuffle”.

It seems, and Jeremy Corbyn’s office says no final decisions have been taken, that any big moves are now off the table. “I don’t think removing him makes Labour’s chances of winning any greater”.

Diane Abbott, the shadow worldwide development secretary, could step into the role.

Ms Greenwood told the Murnaghan programme: “Jeremy will set out his thoughts over the next days and weeks, I imagine”.

Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn and shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle, who were both rumoured to be under threat, were among those to meet the party leader on Monday.

But Mr Howells speculated that Labour had been controlled by “lunatics” since Ed Miliband’s time as leader.

“London is one of the leading global commercial cities in the world, so I ask the question ‘Do you want as Mayor of London… someone who has never had a proper job, someone whose only job was one given you by your uncle to run his niche magazine?'”

He said: ” We face a big challenge in winning back the trust of our traditional supporters in the North and the Midlands and Michael is one of the authentic voices who can do that.

“These are superannuated Trotskyite oppositionists, they are not real politicians and I’m afraid it’s a disaster as far as I’m concerned”.

‘It will change of course because the Labour Party has been on its knees many times before…

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