Allies of shadow chancellor John McDonnell claim he has become frustrated with Corbyn

Allies of the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, have been secretly sounding out senior Labour figures about whether to ditch Jeremy Corbyn as the party’s leader.

According to sources who have spoken to The Sunday Times, people close to McDonnell have been floating the idea with supportive members of the shadow cabinet and senior trade union figures.

The revelation comes amid claims that the relationship between McDonnell and Corbyn has deteriorated in recent months.

Allies of McDonnell claim he has become increasingly frustrated with Corbyn and his team over their botched handling of the anti-semitism row this summer, which overshadowed a carefully planned grid of policy announcements.

Last month McDonnell was even forced to deny that he had contemplated resigning in protest at the way Corbyn’s