John McDonnell 'worried and saddened' over possible Labour splits
3 min read
Labour's John McDonnell has said he is "worried and saddened" by the possibility of further splits in the party.
In a bid to quell mounting tensions, the Shadow Chancellor told MPs the Labour leadership team had an “open door” for those who wanted to raise concerns which could lead to them quitting the party.
His comments come in the wake of the resignation of veteran Labour MP Frank Field, who dumped the Labour whip to sit as an “independent Labour MP” after accusing Jeremy Corbyn of becoming a “force for anti-Semitism” in British politics.
The party has also found itself increasingly split over its approach to Brexit as the Labour leadership vows to respect the 2016 Leave vote, despite major reservations from large swathes of its membership.
But the Shadow Chancellor pleaded with Labour MPs not to jump ship, saying any issues could be resolved "within the party".
He told the New Statesman: "I don’t see them as fundamental issues that would encourage a split because there are opportunities for people not just express their views but actually sometimes to win the argument as well.
"So I don’t understand why there is this sort of pre-emptive move to split off. So I’m worried and I’m saddened by that and I think that open door is always there to prevent that happening because any split is automatically damaging."
He also warned that any split could open the door for a Conservative victory, saying: "If you’re having people like the SDP standing in particular constituencies, it takes votes away from Labour.
"As a result of that it could be very tight in individual constituencies and we could be in a situation where Labour don’t pick up those seats. And what does that mean? It means the Tories getting in."
However, Shadow Chancellor admitted that Labour's ongoing battle with anti-Semitism had "hit [the party] to the core".
“Basically we’ve got to resolve it and we will resolve it and that’s it,” he said.
“I’ve been arguing that we need to resolve it in a way that brings everyone together and uphold all the views that have been expressed. The NEC can now close this one.”
He added: "My view is this. I want it resolved quickly. People have expressed their views on how to resolve it… I think we should listen to all these voices that are being heard, resolve the matter amicably and then move on a quickly as possible to tackling the real issues that are exciting for us."
The comments from the Shadow Chancellor came as it emerged that some Labour MPs are pushing for a fresh no confidence vote in Jeremy Corbyn over the party's handling of the row over anti-Jewish abuse.
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