‘The point is that the brutality and hostility is real and it’s day to day.'
deputy leader Tom Watson has said he quit as an MP because of ‘brutality and hostility’ within the party.
It is the first time he has spoken about his shock exit just weeks before the election, having previously insisted it was a ‘personal, not political’ decision., he said conditions within the party were partly responsible for making his career in politics unsustainable.‘So I just thought, now’s the time to take a leap, do something different. You’ve had a good innings. You’ve done good stuff. Go now.
He revealed he backed Owen Smith in his 2016 bid for the party’s leadership in 2016, despite being Mr Corbyn’s number two.‘I thought, as soon as the leader loses the confidence of the parliamentary party it’s almost impossible to see how you can form a government. I thought Jeremy should have resigned, and he nearly did.’Mr Watson criticised Labour’s messaging in the latest election campaign.
He said: ‘There were announcements everywhere, but none of them got through because there were so many.His seat was one of many former Labour strongholds which flipped to the Tories on December 12 for the first time in decades. It was won by 24-year-old Nicola Richards, who defeated Labour candidate Ibrahim Dogus after he was brought in last-minute to replace Mr Watson.
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