Labour needs 'massive listening exercise' says McDonnell amid warnings of bigger split – Politics live

Rolling updates as Jeremy Corbyn is warned that more MPs could leave party to join new groupLabour leader to speak on Brexit as deputy voices concern about larger splitBrexit secretary to brief cabinet on latest talks with Brussels as ministers warn May over using no deal as a tactic 1.38pm GMT A circumspect interview by the Japanese ambassador to the UK, Koji Tsuruoka, has yielded a few lines on the BBC’s World at One.Perhaps it was what he didn’t say that was most interesting though when he was asked about a report this week in the Financial Times that Japanese officials had accused Jeremy Hunt and Liam Fox of taking a “high-handed” approach towards a post-Brexit free trade deal, and briefly considered cancelling bilateral talks due to take place this week. 1.28pm GMT Rumours that senior Labour MPs are working behind the scenes to build a new ‘centrist’ political party have been fuelled by a series of recent donations to Chuka Umunna, reports Total Politics.The former prime minister, Tony Blair, is said to be actively looking for donors to fund a new centrist party and a handful of senior Labour MPs are also rumoured to be working behind the scenes to build a new movement, according to a diary piece in TP. It adds:Moderate MPs are reportedly speaking to donors in a bid to build up a war chest to fund the breakaway from supporters of the current leader.Many frustrated Labour MPs believe that Umunna is best-placed to be leader of the new party – and the latest Register of Member’s Interests suggests that a few big Labour donors might agree. Continue reading…
Via: Labour needs 'massive listening exercise' says McDonnell amid warnings of bigger split – Politics live