Plotters who are trying to depose Jeremy Corbyn are “useless”, shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said as he described the Labour Party as being like “Lord of the Flies”.

Speaking at a fringe meeting at the TUC’s annual conference in Brighton, Mr McDonnell also painted himself and the Labour leader as being victims of an Establishment stitch-up, but said he was not “paranoid”.

Mr McDonnell criticised moderate Labour MPs for the way they had tried to force out Mr Corbyn with a series of co-ordinated resignations earlier this summer, saying all their plans were leaked to them.