Jeremy Corbyn has risked opening up a new rift with Labour moderates after he appeared to open the door to the mandatory reselection of the party's MPs.

The Labour leader said the party will “look at the process of selections” and that MPs should be “accountable all the time”.

His comments come after a trio of leftwingers were elected to the party's ruling National Executive Committee, tightening Mr Corbyn’s grip on the Labour machine.

It is likely to spark fears that MPs who have clashed with the leader and who are not ideologically aligned with his allies could be purged from the party.

Mandatory reselection would mean all Labour MPs having to win the support of half of their local party members to stand again in a general election.