Jeremy Corbyn supporters have renewed a vicious hate campaign against new work and pensions secretary Esther McVey, posting death threats online.

The Tory MP, who replaced David Gauke as the new secretary of state earlier this week, was branded a "murderess", a "ruthless, dishonest coward" and an "odious, toxic liar".

A number of users also posted death threats on Twitter, including on Labour-supporting user who said: "The appointment of Esther McVey as DWP minister is a death sentence for thousands more disabled people. We'll do whatever it takes to put her out of her misery".

It follows John McDonnell's refusal to apologise for calling Ms McVey "a stain of inhumanity" in 2016, after he also repeated an activist's call for her to be "lynched".

Last night friends of Ms McVey said Mr Corbyn “tolerated and encouraged” such behaviour because he had not sacked his shadow chancellor for making the remarks.

One said: “This kind of personal abuse is not just tolerated by Jeremy Corbyn it is actively encouraged by him.

“He promoted to shadow Chancellor the man who said of Esther they should ‘lynch the b***h’.