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Labour put its data on lockdown today after accusing one of the eight MPs who quit of accessing party information.

Staff were locked out from accessing data as a furious warning was issued to MPs by general secretary Jennie Formby.

A Labour source confirmed data was "accessed by one of the MPs in the Independent Group", though did not say who.

The Independent Group did not immediately return a request for comment.

The incident gives a flavour of the furious factional battles that can be expected if TIG candidates stand against Labour.

Ms Formby sent a message to the Parliamentary Labour Party threatening action by the Information Commissioner watchdog.

In the message sent to the Mirror she wrote: "The Party’s elected representatives, at all levels, have a proud record of conscientiously observing their obligations in relation to personal data.

"In recent days, however, the Party has become aware of a number of attempts to access personal data held on the Party’s systems by individuals who are not, or are no longer, authorised to do so.

(Image: REUTERS)

"We are aware that the Information Commissioner is taking an increasingly serious view of misuse of personal data.

"Anyone accessing, using or otherwise processing data without authority or for an unauthorised purpose is at risk of action by the Commissioner’s Office, whose powers have increased substantially since the 2018 Act became law."

The party's Organise site which hosts data collected on the electorate's voting intention alongside Labour membership details was understood to have become unavailable on Wednesday afternoon.

Left-wing activist Owen Jones said: "Within two days of being founded, a nascent party which says "politics is broken" has potentially broken the law for political advantage"

A Labour Party spokesman confirmed: "We have become aware of attempts to access personal data held on the Party’s systems by individuals who are not authorised to do so.

"Personal data the Party holds about individuals is protected by law, under the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

"We are aware that the Information Commissioner is taking an increasingly serious view of misuse of personal data and requires a data controller to take reasonable and proportionate steps to ensure the security of data held on its systems. The Labour Party takes our data protection obligations extremely seriously."

Questioned by the Mirror, former Labour MP Chris Leslie denied he was the MP accused of accessing data.

He said: "We did think through in our checklist of things that had to be done, obviously if you'd resigned your Labour membership, you don't have access to Labour facilities and data and all those other things.

"And things have got to be destroyed up to that point.

"Obviously while you're still a Labour MP and you're still a member of the Labour Party you have access and use of all of that data as it was.

"This is a process of separation and if the focus of the party is going to be to kind of pick holes in the process of that separation, so be it.

"But we're trying our best to do this in as decent a way as possible."

He urged Labour HQ not to descend into "character assassination".