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Visitors to Tom Watson’s office are greeted by portraits of Labour Deputy leaders from the past.

The walls are decorated with blown-up photographs of Denis Healey, Margaret Beckett and Nye Bevan. It’s clear that Mr Watson, Labour’s Deputy Leader since 2015, is proud of his party’s history.

And this was a theme of his speech to last year’s Labour conference, when he urged activists to celebrate the achievements of recent Labour governments led by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

It came as Labour was deeply divided, with supporters of party leader Jeremy Corbyn at war with so-called “Blairite” MPs they considered to be hostile to the new direction the party had taken.

When Mr Watson speaks at this year’s conference in Brighton, on Tuesday September 26, the message will be very different.

He will be looking forward to a Labour government, led by Jeremy Corbyn, which he believes is on the cards - both because Theresa May’s Government may be close to collapse and because Labour has come together as a united party.

If there’s a potential fly in the ointment, it’s a row over changes to Labour’s rules which reduce the role of MPs in choosing a leader.

Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee, has backed proposals which mean leadership candidates need nominations from only 10 per cent of MPs - down from the current figure of 15 per cent - to take part in a ballot of party members.

Some Labour critics of Mr Corbyn fear this would make it easier to ensure another left-winger becomes leader after he stands down.

But Mr Watson, MP for West Bromwich East, has no problem with the change, arguing that it’s right to give party members a range of candidates to choose from.

He said: “The party would expect a wide choice of candidates holding differing views in the next leadership election, whenever that comes.”

And he revealed he actually proposed that the same rule change be introduced for the post of deputy leader.

Mr Watson said: “I hope we will come out of this conference season with Labour united and the country seeing the Tories at war with each other.”

Labour must prepare to form a government with Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister

Mr Watson said the theme of his speech to Labour’s annual conference would be the challenges the party will face in power, led by Jeremy Corbyn.

“Last year I felt the need to explain what Labour governments can achieve when they are in power.

“This year I want to talk about the challenges and opportunities that will occur when Jeremy is Prime Minister.”

June’s general election, in which Theresa May’s Conservative Party lost its majority and Labour gained 30 seats, changed the game.

“We came out of that election with Jeremy a Prime Minister in waiting.

“To me, that means we’ve got to be ready to face all the challenges.”

Don’t fear changes to leadership election rules

Mr Watson admitted there was a danger the conference “could descend into internecine warfare and rows about rule-books”.

But he said he was confident that wouldn’t happen.

And he stressed that he and party leader Jeremy Corbyn were united in backing changes to the party’s rules, such as cutting the proportion of MPs needed to nominate a leadership candidate to 10 per cent.

“Ironically the proposal to our committee [NEC] was to leave the Deputy leader out of that, at 15 per cent, and have it on 10 per cent for the leader.

“It was me that argued that we need to regularise that.

“Both Jeremy and I agreed that it was better that we do it together. And I hope that sends a very clear signal that we want to try and bring the conference together, united around the ideas that a future Labour administration will carry out if we win the election.”

What would he say to Labour MPs who fear they will lose influence as a result of the change?

He responds: “I don’t think it’s the biggest deal in the world. The party would expect a wide choice of candidates holding differing views in the next leadership election, whenever that comes.”

Mr Watson added: “You’ve got to draw the line somewhere, and ten per cent struck me as not the biggest deal in the world.”

Better representation for the North and Midlands

Changes to Labour’s rules should also mean giving representatives from the North and Midlands more say over how the party is run, said Mr Watson.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) backed proposals to create three new NEC places for representatives from constituency parties.

This has been seen by some as an attempt to strengthen the hold that the left has on the Labour Party - but Mr Watson said the move would give more power to party members.

However, he did warn that there was a danger of representatives from London dominating the NEC.

“We were unanimous in giving power back to our members and increasing member representation on our National Executive Committee.

“I’m a little bit worried that it may mean that our members in the Midlands and the North don’t get guaranteed places on our executive.

“We are setting up a review to look at future reforms, and one of the things the review will look at is whether we should have guaranteed places for the English regions on our executive.”

Labour is united on Brexit - and yes, we could stay in the single market

(Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

Labour Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer announced in August that the party would support a transitional deal with the EU which kept the UK in the single market for a while, even after Brexit.

But there appeared to be confusion over whether Labour could back staying in the single market permanently.

Mr Watson dismissed suggestions that there are any divisions within the party, saying: “Around the top table of the Labour Party there is absolute unanimity around our position.”

So what exactly is the position on whether the UK could remain a member of the single market after a transition period?

Responding to this question, he said: “Our negotiating position is to put jobs and business first.

“We are not the negotiating team.

“It may be an outcome of the negotiations. But it is not a negotiating requirement.

“The requirement is that we can get our goods into the European Union in whatever those arrangements may be.

“The Single Market is one.

“I’m not saying it should be an objective. The objective should be protecting jobs.

“Now, it might be an outcome of the negotiations. But it’s not a red line.”

I’m not Jeremy Corbyn’s enemy - but I was wrong about him

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

Some activists who back Jeremy Corbyn and are vocal on social media appear to see Mr Watson as the enemy.

This stems partly from attempts by Labour MPs to remove Mr Corbyn by backing a vote of no confidence in him, in 2016.

Mr Watson wasn’t behind the “coup”, as some of his critics claim, but he did come to believe Mr Corbyn couldn’t continue as leader.

Looking back, he admits candidly that he was wrong.

Asked what he would say to those who believe he has undermined Jeremy Corbyn, Mr Watson said: “I don’t think anyone that’s actually involved in the party sees it that way. Certainly he [Jeremy Corbyn] doesn’t see it that way.

“The only time I’ve really spoken out is when there was the vote of no confidence.

“I was just very concerned at the time. I didn’t see how we could go on when 80 per cent of my colleagues had voted to no-confidence the leader.

“It struck me that was a point where you couldn’t derive authority.

“But I was wrong about that, wasn’t I?”

Mr Corbyn went on to win a second leadership election and won many voters over in the general election, said Mr Watson.

Labour must fight growing problem of gambling addiction

(Image: PA)

In his role as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Mr Watson has highlighted the problem of fixed odds betting terminals - machines which allow people to lose large sums of money and are now a common sight in high street bookmakers.

He believes there is “a hidden epidemic” of addiction, and highlights research which suggest almost two million people in the UK now have a gambling problem or are at risk of developing one.

“A number of reports have shown that gambling addiction has grown by about a third in the past few years.

“They put the number of gambling addicts - people who can’t stop gambling - at 430,000.

“And a further group, about a million and a half people, are considered very vulnerable to having problems with gambling.

“That’s a hidden epidemic. It’s an illness and it needs treating.”

He said that the existing legislation regulating fixed odds betting terminals, passed by the last Labour government in 2005, is out of date.

“Although they were regulated in that Act [the Gambling Act 2005], people didn’t understand what this technology could do.”

Should Channel 4 move out of London?

As a West Midlands MP, Mr Watson faces a dilemma over the Government’s proposal to force broadcaster Channel 4 to move its headquarters out of London.

His own local council, Sandwell, is among those backing a campaign to bring Channel 4 to neighbouring Birmingham.

But in his role as Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Mr Watson is sceptical of the Government’s motives for considering the move.

“If I’m sceptical it’s about the idea that elected politicians should decide where a TV company should go.

“As the MP for West Bromwich East, if Channel 4 is going anywhere I would love it to come to the Midlands.”

Acknowledging that other regions are also campaigning to get Channel 4, he adds: “There’s obviously got to be a fair process.”

But he insisted: “Ministers are saying on the one hand, we want TV companies to be impartial in their coverage of politics. But on the other hand, we are going to tell them were to move their staff.”

Losing the West Midlands mayor contest

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

Labour suffered a setback in the West Midlands this year when it lost the election for a regional mayor to Conservative candidate Andy Street.

Mr Watson said he was very disappointed Labour candidate Sion Simon, an MEP and former MP (and a close friend), was defeated.

“Having known Sion for a long time now, I think his experience in Westminster and Brussels would have been invaluable for our region as we go through Brexit and through huge changes in the way regional and local government is organised.

“But we lost, Andy Street won, and we will have to work with a West Midlands mayor of whatever political hue.”

Birmingham’s bin strike

The Labour Deputy leader said he wanted Birmingham City Council and unions to talk to end the city bin strike as soon as possible.

“I think we are all very keen that the leadership of Birmingham City Council, both elected and professional staff, come together with the leadership of the trade unions and find a solution to this as quickly as possible.

“There are a lot of political careers that have ended thanks to disputes over collections of bins.

“I just hope they can come to a solution quickly.”

Internet giants must take responsibility for fake news

Online giants such as Facebook are “distorting our democracy” by spreading fake news which may even have influenced the result of last year’s US Presidential election, said Mr Watson.

Traditionally, they have argued that they merely distribute material rather than publishing it, and therefore cannot be held responsible for the contents.

Mr Watson is having none of it - and warns that governments across the world are looking at how to hold them to account.

He said: “I think when you get Facebook shamefacedly having to admit they took $100,000 from Russian interests that were spreading fake news, that could have distorted the Presidential election to such a degree that it had a different outcome, for them to hold their hands up and say we believe in free expression, ‘this is nothing to do with us guv’, is not good enough,

“The onward progress of public policy making on a number of continents is focusing very much on these very large, very profitable tech platforms.

“Not just at how they can distort our democracy by spreading fake news or propaganda from foreign powers that haven’t got our best interest at heart. But how they can play a leading role in promoting good journalism and free expression.

“They need to be more active in building partnerships and making sure they adhere to high standards, and making sure their users are not bombarded by lies and fake news.”

Destiny 2 may be the best video game ever

Mr Watson is a keen video gamer - and his current obsession is an online game called Destiny 2.

His face lights up when he’s asked about it. But while he does find time to unwind, his roles as Labour’s deputy leader, Shadow Culture Secretary and a Black Country MP keep him busy.

“I haven’t had as much time [to play it] as I think I deserve.

“I have managed to get to level 20.”

The game sets players the task of gathering energy known as Light, and Mr Watson explains: “For Destiny 2 users, my Light is only 196. To max out my light levels I need to get to 270, so there are more hours of gameplay to go before I can feel like I am fully fulfilled on Destiny 2.

"But Im afraid that is going to have to wait until after the Labour conference.

“But I do feel it is possibly the best game ever made.”