Call for Labour moderates to organise following Leeds Central '˜takeover'

MODERATE LABOUR activists have been urged to organise to avoid a repeat of the takeover of Hilary Benn's Leeds Central constituency party by backers of leader Jeremy Corbyn.

A newsletter from the Labour First group has hailed the success of moderates in fending off Momentum in local party elections “with a few exceptions such as Leeds Central”.

It continues: “We want to continue this pattern in 2017 and we are conscious that we need to organise very hard to do so, and at the same time to be campaigning hard for Labour and ready to fight an early General Election if one is called.”

McDonnell rules out Leeds Central intervention

The future of Mr Benn, the Leeds Central MP since 1999, has been questioned following the election of Corbyn supporters to key positions in his local party.

Mr Benn earned the wrath of some Corbyn supporters when he publicly criticised his leadership as he was sacked as shadow foreign secretary earlier this year.

A series of resignations from Mr Corbyn’s frontbench team followed triggering a vote of no confidence and the leadership contest he won comprehensively.