Labour should not play out its internal battles in public, a senior shadow cabinet minister warned.

Angela Eagle said "robust" challenges to the direction of the party under Jeremy Corbyn were to be welcomed as a healthy part of debate.

But the shadow business secretary cautioned against conducting rows on social media and elsewhere.

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"I think that we ought to have our discussions about things like that with each other, rather than in public," she told journalists at a Westminster lunch.

"And certainly not on Twitter, because 140 characters is rarely enough for me, let alone anyone else, to have a sophisticated rant, let alone a more nuanced debate.

"I would say it's really important that we try and focus our fire on the Conservative party, which is doing great damage up and down the country in various ways - and let's have our discussions about the right way to do that behind closed doors."

Ms Eagle declined to speculate on Jeremy Corbyn's future as leader, saying that in politics "you can never predict anything", and did not rule out seeking the party leadership herself in future.

But she said she could imagine the left-winger leading Labour to victory at the 2020 general election.

"Yes, because Labour will always have a better approach to our country's problems and challenges than the current Government," she said.

On her own ambitions, she said: "Jeremy was elected by an overwhelming majority. But I love the Labour Party and I will always do what I can to make sure that it succeeds in the future in any way I can."

She did not rule out the prospect - predicted by some experts - that Labour could lose seats in May's local elections.

The polls are seen as a first significant test of Mr Corbyn's leadership, with critics demanding significant gains.

But the seats being fought were last up for grabs at a time in 2012 when Labour was exploiting Government unpopularity, making it harder this time around to add more councillors.

"I know from going up and down the country that the party is in good heart, we are doing lots of work and getting a good response on the doorstep," Ms Eagle said.

"I certainly hope that, come May, that will be reflected in the results. I would certainly want to see us, if at all possible, making gains."