A Labour MP who resigned in protest at Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership confirmed today she would not be returning to the front bench despite his call for unity.
Speaking just minutes after Corbyn was re-elected as Labour leader with an increased majority, Gloria De Piero said she would remain on the backbenches.
De Piero quit as Shadow Minister for Young People and Voter Registration in the wake of the EU referendum, along with many colleagues.
Speaking to HuffPost UK in a Facebook live interview, De Piero said: “I’ve always said that whoever won my priority right now is to speak to my constituents in Ashfield and actually talk to them about what they think the Labour Party should be, what they want the Labour party to deliver for communities like mine, and so I am going to enjoy challenging the Tories from the backbenches.”
Gloria De Piero interview starts at 13.20
HuffPost UK also spoke to leftwing firebrand Dennis Skinner, who claimed the next election would be a “walkover” for Labour if all the party’s MPs got behind the leader.
He said: “The parliamentary Labour party should understand that twice in 12 months this man has secured a majority bigger than any other Labour leader in history, and it’s time they realised that and supported him.”
Journalist Paul Mason told HuffPost UK that Corbyn’s win would not end the “hostile” coverage he receives by the media.
“What he needs to do is professionalise his leadership. This was already in train before the coup started,” he said.
Mason said he would not take on a role in the party as he wanted to stay as “a journalist covering radical movements across the world.”