The MP, whose constituency has passed a vote of no confidence in him, brands Momentum ‘Militant for the digital age’

Labour MP and former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie has denounced the grass roots movement Momentum as “the Militant for the digital age” after left-wing party activists passed a vote of no confidence in him in his Nottingham East constituency.

Leslie, who has been a persistent critic of Jeremy Corbyn over economic policy, Brexit and national security issues, said the party was no longer a broad church but dominated by supporters of the leader who were completely intolerant of people with views different to their own.

Referring to the Corbyn’s speech at the Labour confernce in Liverpool on Wednesday, Leslie said in an article for the The Observer: “Jeremy Corbyn claimed this week that the Labour party should foster a culture of tolerance. But those acting in his name do the precise opposite.

Labour is no longer a broad church. It is intolerant of those who speak their minds | Chris Leslie Read more

“The reality is that we are no longer that broad church and with every ‘no confidence’ motion or change of selection rules, the party becomes narrower.

“Such tactics are familiar from the hard left of the past. Momentum is the Militant for the digital age. What do they expect the public to conclude, if Labour continues to push out people on the centre left like me while readmitting the likes of Derek Hatton?”

Hatton, the former deputy leader of Liverpool council, claimed last week to have rejoined the Labour party 33 years after being expelled by the then leader, Neil Kinnock for belonging to the Militant Tendency. He caused a national outcry in the 1980s by setting an illegal council budget and was denounced at the 1985 Labour conference for using taxis to send redundancy notices to thousands of council workers.

Leslie is the latest in a growing list of Labour MPs to have lost confidence votes in their constituency parties. The others to have fallen foul of their local parties are the the anti-EU MPs Frank Field and Kate Hoey, and Corbyn critics Gavin Shuker and Joan Ryan.

While the votes of no confidence carry no official force in the party, changes in the party’s rules approved at the conference last week now make it easier for local party members to deselect their MPs. Some senior MPs in the party now fear as many as a third of Labour MPs - those who have criticised Corbyn in the past, and those who tried to oust him from office in 2016 - could be deselected before the next general election.

Louise Regan, chair of the Nottingham East Labour Party, said, after the vote on Friday night : “We have overwhelmingly passed a vote of no confidence in Chris Leslie the MP. But actually our biggest focus is to go out tomorrow campaigning because what we want is to elect a Labour government.”

Other centre left MPs quickly came out in Leslie’s support. Ryan said on Twitter: “Disgrace that Chris Leslie is next victim of purge with no confidence motion. He is a brilliant MP (and) has been key to opposing damaging Brexit and pursuing People’s Vote. We certainly have confidence in him in PLP!”

Leslie says in his article says activists should be focusing on stopping a Brexit that would be hugely damaging to his constituents and the country, rather than purges against MPs.

“To those who promoted the motion on Friday, all I would say is that when the country is ploughing towards Brexit which will hurt households, local businesses and our public services, I do not understand the desire to waste time and energy on my loyalty to the Labour Party Leader.”

He adds: “Ever since I joined Labour 32 years ago as a school pupil, provoked by the Thatcher government’s neglect that had left my local comprehensive school classroom literally falling down, I’ve sought to champion better public services for those who need them most – whether as a local councillor or Government Minister. I have never hidden my politics including at the last election. No one in Nottingham East could have been in any way confused about my policy positions and areas of disagreement with the current Leadership.