Corbyn faces reshuffle challenge over top team after 'olive branch' delay

Jeremy Corbyn could face difficulties forming his top team after proposals aimed at uniting the party were kicked into the long grass.

The re-elected Labour leader had been urged by MPs to restore shadow cabinet elections as an olive branch after a bitter leadership campaign.

However, with a reshuffle imminently expected, Labour's ruling National Executive Committee has put off a decision on the change until an "awayday" on 22 November. This would be followed by a consultation process before the reforms receive final approval at a special conference.

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MPs had already backed restoring elections to give the parliamentary party more control over the make-up of the shadow cabinet.

On the issue of shadow cabinet elections, shadow chancellor John McDonnell told Sky News' Murnaghan programme: "There's a whole series of democratic reforms that people are debating now, one of which is shadow cabinet elections.

"The NEC has now said they will look at all those issues, but they will look at them in the round.

"What they are looking for is an awayday to look at all those issues, then consulting the party and then we will probably have a rules conference if we need to change those positions."

Even ahead of being returned with an increased mandate on Saturday, Mr Corbyn had met with key Labour MPs to bring them back into his diminished frontbench team.

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A number of vacancies remain following the mass exodus of dozens of shadow ministers in June.

Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on the first day of Labour's annual conference in Liverpool, Mr Corbyn said: "I'm reaching out to all our MPs, having lots of discussions with them."

While acknowledging there were "some differences of policy opinion", he insisted there was "a good deal of unanimity" on issues like selective education and austerity."

On the threat of deselection, Mr Corbyn also said the "vast majority" of MPs would have no problems as local parties choose candidates for new and changed constituencies created by the redrawing of boundaries.

He told constituency parties considering deselecting of MPs: "Concentrate on policies, concentrate on campaigning, concentrate on getting out there and what we've got to get across as a message."

Mr Corbyn also confirmed he had asked the NEC to review the party's democratic structures to give a greater role to members and trade unionists in developing policy.