Alistair Darling, the former Labour Chancellor, has vowed to wrestle control of the party back from Jeremy Corbyn and his left-wing allies as he claimed the idea of a new party is "for the birds".

His remarks follow outrage after one of Mr Corbyn's most senior allies called for de-selections if Labour MPs do not toe the line in Westminster.

The claims led to increased speculation that a new party could be formed by disgruntled Labour MPs looking for a return to Tony Blair's new Labour politics.