Wes Streeting has told Corbynistas to “dry their eyes” and accept his leadership was a “shipwreck” in a bombshell interview with Beth Rigby on Sky News.
Sir Keir Starmer has come in for criticism over accusations of a ‘left-wing purge’ in the party.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell described Sir Keir’s supporters as being “drunk with power”, claiming the “right-wing faction” is weakening the party, while Mick Lynch said he agreed with the verdict of Corbyn’s former right-hand man.
The union chief said: “The left is being purged and we need a balance.
“We’ve got people in the centre, people in the traditional right have got their place and the people on the left should be able to put their ideas forward.”
Defending Sir Keir on Sky, Streeting described McDonnell’s comments as “extraordinary”.
He said: “To be honest I thought that was extraordinary. I thought it was extraordinary, because, what Keir has done is take the Labour Party from its worst defeat since 1935, when we weren’t trusted on a whole range of issues, and where people had been bullied and hounded out of the Labour Party, not least through the issue of antisemitism.
“And he has taken that absolute shipwreck that the Labour Party was in 2019, and now made it seaworthy, and I hope on course for a general election victory.”
He also hit out at left-wing critics who might feel “betrayed” by Sir Keir backtracking on promises he made to Labour members in order to win the party’s leadership contest in 2020.
“Well, I’m afraid they have to dry their eyes and be glad of the fact that we might finally, after 13 years, get this Conservative government out and have a Labour government able to change our country once again”.
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