Former frontbench MP Chuka Umunna has implored Jeremy Corbyn to “call of the dogs” trying to drive centre-left MPs out of Labour.
The Streatham MP made the comments after leading pro-Israel MP claimed so-called moderates faced a “clear and present danger” of being run out of the party by hard-left factions.
Mr Umunna’s comments came after leading pro-Israel MP Joan Ryan and Luton South MP Gavin Shuker lost no-confidence votes among local party members.
Ms Ryan blamed the result on “Trots, Stalinists, Communists and assorted hard-left”, while Mr Shuker, who was elected in 2010, said: “I’ve not changed,. but the Labour Party has.”
In a speech to the centre-left group Progress on Saturday, Mr Umunna is expected to say MPs are being targeted for standing up for zero tolerance of racism.
“More motions such as this are expected by colleagues,” he will say.
“My message to our leadership: it is within your power to stop this so call off the dogs and get on with what my constituency, one of the most diverse communities in the nation, demands we do — without equivocation, fight this Tory Brexit. That is where all our efforts should be.”
Mr Umunna wil say the Brexit debate has normalised hatred and black and minority ethnic voters had “paid the price”.
He is expected to warn the Labour leadership it would be a “complete betrayal” of the party’s values to “act as a bystander and wave through this disastrous Brexit” and call for it to back a referendum on the final deal.
Mr Umunna has backed The Independent’s Final Say campaign, which features a petition to Theresa May that has been signed by more than 700,000 people.
The Streatham MP is expected to say: “It is simply not good enough to adopt a position which refuses to make the case for a people’s vote on th e deal and at the same time leave it on the table as an option in the event of impasse in the House of Commons.
“That is simply constructive ambiguity continued, which needs to be junked.
“Let’s dump the prevarication, stop using internal factional reasons as an excuse to avoid it, and back a people’s vote wholeheartedly now.”
Press Association contributed to this report
The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
Sign our petition here
