Umunna denies Labour anti-Corbyn plot

Labour frontbencher Mr Umunna said he has not spoken to anybody nor knows of any planned plots to force out Mr Corbyn should the left-winger triumph.

Mr Umunna added “a bit of calm” was needed as there had been no break since the general election, with the summer recess and final hustings giving people a chance to reflect on the direction of the party.

He also added he would “never say never” about his own leadership ambitions in the future after withdrawing from the current contest in the opening days.

But Mr Umunna added he hoped the opportunity would not arise due to the right leader being selected in September to lead the party forward.

Mr Corbyn has defied initial predictions by attracting support from constituency parties and unions as he battles with Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall in the contest to succeed Ed Miliband.

Speaking at the launch of a university campaign in support of Britain’s EU membership, Mr Umunna said: “There are no coup plots as such.

“I think whatever the result is on September 12, everybody in the Labour Party - from the shadow cabinet down - will respect the result because it’s party democracy in action.”

The Labour frontbencher said he had been accused of trying to “stifle democracy” in the party for disagreeing with Mr Corbyn’s policies, noting he gets on well with the Islington North MP personally.

He insisted he should be allowed to explain why he disagrees with Mr Corbyn without “people trying to silence me or others”.

Asked to clarify what he meant by “no coup plots as such”, Mr Umunna later told reporters: “That would tend to suggest that somehow the parliamentary party would collectively refuse to accept the result of a democratic vote in the party.

“So no, I’ve not spoken to anybody nor know of any coup plots.”

Asked if he was right to pull out of the race given Mr Corbyn’s strong showing, Mr Umunna said: “The fact you are seeing Jeremy Corbyn’s entry give life to that debate is not necessarily a bad thing, but I’m very clear where I sit on the argument about the party’s future.

“I don’t think we have to compromise getting elected, which is primarily why the Labour Party was set up, with our principles.

“I think working out how to translate our principles in a different setting, in the context of globalisation is where we struggled and that’s at the heart of the debate you see raging in the Labour Party right now.

“As for myself, I was very clear at the time about why I pulled out. I didn’t think it was the right time and I also wasn’t enjoying the media attention that my loved ones were getting.

“Never say never, but I really do hope the situation doesn’t arise again because what we’re all working towards, and where we hope to be at the end of this process, is in a situation where we’ve got a leader who can get us back into government, with a new Labour prime minister in 2020.

“That’s what it’s all about.”