John McDonnell has said he will invite Peter Mandelson for a cup of tea to try and smooth over the cracks in their relationship.
In a bitter war of words, shadow chancellor recently accused Lord Mandelson of being part of a “soft coup” against Jeremy Corbyn.
It came after Lord Mandelson said he was working “every single day” to bring about the Labour leader’s downfall.
Speaking in central London today, McDonnell said despite “pugnacious approach” to politics he was now “holding out hands” to Mandelson and wanted a “constructive relationship”.
“I will be inviting him to come and have a cup of tea, and discuss issues around common concern,” he said.
The shadow chancellor said he wanted Lord Mandelson’s input on what Labour’s policy on the Brexit negotiations should be.
But he rejected the advice from Guardian columnist Owen Jones, an early supporter of Corbyn, that the Labour leader should stand aside in favour of another MP from the left of the party.
The Huffington Post revealed today that McDonnell told a meeting of Marxists in 2011 that he was ready to consider alternatives to Labour if he and other left-wingers failed to “reclaim” the party.
Speaking at a conference organised by the Socialist Workers’ Party in 2011, McDonnell said that he had “no fetish” for the Labour party.