Now Corbyn wants Labour members to choose his cabinet, too

Owen Smith dismissed the Labour leader’s claim he was attempting to “reach out” to critics and called for shadow cabinet elections to include MPs and not members.

Mr Corbyn’s critics in the parliamentary party have backed the restoration of votes to select Labour’s top team in what was seen as an attempt to regain internal power in the party.

But Mr Corbyn’s suggested move to include the grassroots membership, which overwhelmingly backs him, is likely to be seen as a further attack on MPs, who believe the leader and his allies are mounting a leftist takeover of Labour.

Allies of Mr Corbyn have backed suggestions a third of shadow cabinet posts should be elected by the parliamentary party, another third by the leader and a third by members, but the leader remains open to discussion.

Mr Smith told Sky News’s Murnaghan programme: “It’s presented as apparently being a conciliatory gesture by Jeremy. It isn’t a conciliatory gesture, it’s not simply an attempt to extend democracy in the Labour Party.

“It’s an attempt to deepen divisions between new members and MPs. It’s an attempt to further cement his position and use the membership as a means of driving a wedge between the MPs and his leadership.

“If he was serious about trying to unify the party he would be taking serious the notion of going back to the traditional method we have had of guaranteeing that there was some balance in the shadow cabinet, and everybody felt in the party that they had some representation, which was election through the PLP.

“I’m in favour of us having more democracy in the Labour Party but I don’t think Jeremy and his team can get away with saying that this is all about an olive branch when really and truly it’s about deepening the divisions that he’s created in the party.”

The proposals will be presented to the party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) on Tuesday, when a decision could be made on whether to they become policy.

Tom Watson is due to present alternative plans to reintroduce shadow cabinet elections by MPs - scrapped by Ed Miliband in 2011 - but the deputy leader is said by sources close to him to be open to Mr Corbyn’s idea.

Mr Corbyn did not set out the details of his plan and insisted he wanted a discussion on the issue, but stressed the leader’s office should retain some control over who sits in the shadow cabinet.

He told ITV’s Peston on Sunday: “I understand the feelings, a proportion is fine but I do think that there has to be also a recognition that we have a system where the leader is elected by the membership and supporters as a whole, and clearly the leader has a mandate coming from that election and has put forward various views.

“Owen Smith and I have both put forward views on the economy and lots of other issues, and I think that has to be reflected in the way in which the party in Parliament operates.”

Liz Kendall, who challenged Mr Corbyn for the leadership last summer, criticised the idea of members voting in shadow cabinet elections.

“We are there to exercise our judgment, I do not believe in a parliamentary democracy by plebiscite and I think the idea that you are delegated to do solely what party members want - I don’t think that’s the right way forward,” she told Murnaghan.

Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn pointed out that many MPs will have to fight to be reselected to contest their seats in the next general election due to proposed boundary changes.

His comments came as his ally Clive Lewis, the shadow defence secretary, backed de-selection as a “democratic choice” and a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary to air on Monday uncovered evidence that members of pro-Corbyn pressure group Momentum were pushing for mandatory re-selections, even though it is not the organisation’s official policy.

Mr Corbyn said constituency Labour parties will make selections due to the boundary changes.

Asked whether it was a veiled threat, Mr Corbyn replied: “It’s not a veiled threat, it’s not a direct threat either, it’s not any kind of threat.

“What it is, is simply describing the process. There are going to be 600 new constituency Labour parties formed, as there will be for other parties, and they will go through a selection process.”

Mr Smith said: “In parts of the country, in most parts of the country, Momentum are seeking - in their words - to take over the party, to de-select people, talking about handing over redundancy notices to party staff members.

“The contrast is they’re talking about spending members’ money on redundancy payments to staff members, I’m talking about hiring new staff members, using that money in order to put organisers into these key seats we need to win the next general election.”

Mr Corbyn and Mr Smith are to go head-to-head on Sunday in a hustings organised by Jewish Labour Movement, Labour Friends of Israel and JW3, a Jewish community centre.

Mr Corbyn will expect a rough ride from the audience as the party has been dogged by claims of anti-Semitism since he took over the leadership, although he has made clear he does not tolerate racism.

He is widely expected to be returned as leader at a special Labour conference on Saturday.