Katy Balls Katy Balls

Whips’ resignations show there will be no easy peace in Labour

The branches on Jeremy Corbyn’s olive tree appear to be experiencing a case of stunted growth. The Labour leader had joked that he would grow one as part of his efforts to tempt moderates back and assemble a full frontbench team. However, since he unceremoniously sacked Rosie Winterton as Chief Whip in the first move of his reshuffle last week, relations between the Corbynites and the moderates are — once again — frosty.

Wounded by the departure of a popular colleague — along with a shadow cabinet which fails to have Labour’s only Scottish MP as the secretary for Scotland — a number of MPs no longer feel the need to put on a brave face over Corbyn’s re-election. Following John Cryer’s email to the PLP on Friday accusing Corbyn of being unconstructive on shadow Cabinet elections, two MPs — Conor McGinn and Holly Lynch — have today resigned

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