Ken Livingstone has called for “about a dozen” Labour MPs including Chuka Umunna and Wes Streeting to be suspended from the party for criticising Jeremy Corbyn.
The former London mayor, who is himself currently suspended from the party for comments he made about Hitler, also said he would seek a judicial review if he is expelled.
Livingstone, an ally of Corbyn, told BBC Radio 5 Live on Wednesday morning: “Those that have been most over the top I think should be suspended.
“I’m particularly talking about Chuka Umunna, Wes Streeting - basically it’s the same group of MPs who were screaming that I’d said Hitler was a Zionist and I was anti-semitic.
“The moment that issue went on hold, they were then blaming Jeremy for Britain voting to leave. Just endless criticism. It’s only about a dozen of them.
“The simple fact is they are consciously undermining Jeremy and damaging the Labour party.”
Streeting hit back:
Livingstone also said Corbyn should “re-introduce automatic re-selection” for MPs as “it’s really ridiculous that MPs in safe seats have a job for life”.
Some Labour activists want to be able to replace local MPs with candidates who are seen as more loyal to Corbyn.
Livingstone was suspended from Labour “for bringing the party into disrepute” after he suggested Hitler had supported Zionism “before he went mad and ended up killing 6 million Jews”.
Speaking to the BBC today he said he was now “basically retired” but did not want his career “defined at the end that I’m anti-semitic”.
Last year, Umunna warned Livingstone during a Commons committee hearing he had become a “pin-up” for anti-Semitism by “needlessly and repeatedly offending Jewish people”.
A spokesperson for Umunna told The Huffington Post that Livingstone’s “latest outburst” was “everything to with Chuka calling him out at the Home Affairs Committee” and “very little to do with Jeremy Corbyn”.