Corbyn Criticised For Tory Protest By Own Side

Jeremy Corbyn has come under attack from one of Labour's most senior shadow ministers for taking part in the anti-austerity protests in Manchester during the Tory conference.

Shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden, who served as a minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, accused Mr Corbyn of turning Labour into a protest movement rather than a party of government.

Interviewed on Murnaghan on Sky News, Mr McFadden said now that Mr Corbyn was Labour leader he had to change from a politician of protest into one, at least, potentially, of government.

Mr Corbyn has already been accused of gatecrashing the Conservative conference in Manchester by breaking with convention to speak at a rally which is one of a series of anti-austerity protests in the city during the conference.

He is due to speak at Manchester Cathedral on Monday on the future of UK postal services, under the banner of the People’s Post campaign, organised by the Communication Workers Union (CWU).

Thousands of protesters have gathered in the city and delegates have been warned not to wear their accreditation outside the venue in case they are attacked.

A young Conservative was egged and a journalist spat at by demonstrators. Police closed down a "protest rave" in Piccadilly Gardens in the city centre, which started on Friday.

Asked by Dermot Murnaghan if Mr Corbyn was right to speak at the rally, Mr McFadden said: "There's a culture of protest in the Labour Party going back many decades and it has its place. But government is different from protest.

"What I want to see is a party that can get elected and implement change. There's a difference between being a party of protest and a party of government.

"One of the important things for him is to make that transition as a politician from one of protest to one, at least, potentially, of government. They are not the same thing.

"What I don’t want to see is the Labour Party's job description being changed.

"We can't be satisfied with just being a protest movement because that would be a fundamental change in our job description. That’s not something I want to see."

But Mr Corbyn was defended by his closest ally, shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who told Sky News community groups and trade unions had organised a whole week of activities contrasting what was happening at the Tory conference with what was happening in people's communities.

"It's appropriate that there's an alternative put to the austerity programme the Conservatives will be pursuing at their conference," he said in an interview.