Labour Leadership Race Turns Nasty Online

When does passionate debate turn into personal abuse?

The Labour leadership race has turned nasty online.

It's hard to see how the party can emerge united and unscathed.

Liz Kendall, in particular, has received some vitriolic abuse.

The Blairite candidate couldn't be further from Jeremy Corbyn on the Labour spectrum. Her supporters are also a target online.

Mike Gapes MP, who is voting for Ms Kendall as his first preference, told Sky News: "We're being told to leave the Labour Party, to join the Tories.

"I've been a member of the Labour Party since 1968 - I'm not going anywhere.

"Some of the stuff Liz has had is disgusting, and it's really vile and offensive. No woman in public life should be subject to that."

He added: "Those of us who believe the policies of Jeremy Corbyn are disastrous are not going to be stopped from saying so.

"I'm going to continue on Twitter and elsewhere to speak out.

"There are some people who have just come into the Labour Party for five minutes from the far left who regard everything Brown and Blair have done as something to be trashed and I'm not going to allow that to happen to my party."

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In contrast, some of Mr Corbyn's supporters feel they are being abused by Labour grandees in the party.

Tony Blair has said they need a "heart transplant" while John McTernan described them as "morons".

Anti-austerity activist Noel Douglas tweeted Mr Gapes to say: "its attitudes like yours that need to leave the Labour Party."

Mr Douglas said: "I took issue with him because it was kind of like he was saying the wrong people were joining, the wrong people are voting, kind of ridiculous ideas of infiltration."

Mr Corbyn has asked his supporters to play nice, saying he will not tolerate abuse of his rivals.

But a vocal minority have not listened, with some accused of anti-Semitism.

John Mann MP, backing Yvette Cooper, tweeted: "Sunday Express wrongly states I am Jewish. Not so. Amazingly it gets trolls frothing at the mouth. Go have a walk in the park. It might help."

Mr Corbyn's movement has shattered the Labour consensus. If he is elected leader, he'll have to find a way of uniting the pieces again.