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A top Labour MP had a go at an interviewer when asked about so-called loyalty tests being demanded of MPs by campaign group Momentum.

Barry Gardiner, dismissed the idea that the Jeremy Corbyn backing group, was wielding undue influence in the Labour Party.

The shadow international trade secretary said: “On a day when most of our major newspapers are leading with people like Patience Wheatcroft the Conservative peer in the House of Lords warning the PM about bullying, when we’ve seen in the papers this week Conservative MPs being threatened with death threats you’re talking to me about people within the Labour Party…”

Sky’s Niall Paterson defended his line of questioning, saying: “It’s two minutes of an interview Mr Gardiner.”

He was asked whether he agreed with the description of the group, which was formed to help Corbyn take charge of the party, as the Labour leader's "praetorian guard" - an elite until that protected Roman emperors.

Mr Ferguson also asked Mr Gardiner what he thought about a so-called loyalty test that Momentum was reportedly asking candidates for councils and MPs to sign up to pledging to abide by the beliefs of the group in return for their campaigning support.

(Image: Leon Neal)

Mr Gardiner described Momentum as “a group of people who have joined the Labour Party because they’re enthused by the manifesto and that’s a very, very good thing.

"We are now the largest political party in the whole of Western Europe over half a million members, that’s about democracy in action and that has to be a good thing," he added.

“I think it’s a very strange day if politicians become afraid of the electorate, afraid of the people, we have very clear processes in the Labour Party it’s called a manifesto that’s what we all sign up to when it comes to general election.”

(Image: Getty)

Mr Gardiner, who has served in Corbyn's shadow cabinet since June 2016, said he was happy with any part of the Labour Party to campaign on the issues they think are important.

He said: “I don’t see a problem with people within the party whether they’re on the right or the left whether it’s Prospect or Progress or Momentum actually campaigning on the issues that within the Labour Party, within that broad spectrum that we are, they campaign just as everybody else does for the things that they believe in.”