Labour leadership election: Owen Smith accused of aiding party split by John McDonnell

'If Owen truly wants to unite our party like Jeremy Corbyn does, then he needs to denounce those who are plotting to divide it'

Owen Smith has previously said he is "genuinely afraid" of a split in Labour (Getty)

Labour leadership contender Owen Smith has been accused of talking up a split in the party - and warned he will be branded the “disunity candidate" if he fails to denounce the plotters.

John McDonnell, the shadow Chancellor who is running Jeremy Corbyn's campaign to retain Labour's top job, also accused Mr Smith of “flip-flopping” on whether he’d respect the outcome of the election in two months’ time, in one of the most pointed attacks of the campaign so far.

It comes after a weeks of bitter recriminations within Labour’s ranks and speculation that some MPs are considering electing their own leader from among their number if Mr Corbyn wins the ensuing membership ballot. This “semi-split” would then be followed by legal action to gain access to the party’s name and other assets like property – effectively bypassing the result.

“Owen Smith refused when asked by the Guardian newspaper yesterday to condemn the minority of MPs supporting his campaign who are talking of splitting our party if he does not win. And then only later that day in a TV interview he talked up the threat of a split. If Owen truly wants to unite our party like Jeremy Corbyn does, then he needs to denounce those who are plotting to divide it,” Mr McDonnell said.

“As on top of recent revelations, over the last few weeks we’ve had supporter of Owen Smith such as activists for ‘Saving Labour’ talking openly of a split, Jess Phillips saying she will resign from the whip, and Owen Smith himself flip-flopping on whether he’d respect the outcome of the election and be prepared to serve again under Jeremy.

The shadow Chancellor added that if Mr Smith continues “to refuse to denounce those calling for a split” then Labour party members “will think he is simply trying to scaremonger them”. He added: “And it’ll be hard for anyone to tell how much Owen truly is opposed to a split, and how much he is giving tactic support to those plotters in a hope it helps his campaign.

Mr Smith, he added, “needs to immediately distance himself from those people saying they want a split, which is causing huge damage to our party at this time”.

“Anything short of this will make him the disunity candidate”

Mr Smith has, so far, used rallies to speak of how he is “genuinely afraid” of a split in the party. Speaking to supporters in Lewisham last week the former shadow work and pensions secretary said: “We are in my view the greatest institution for social justice, for economic fairness…that our country has ever seen. So for us to be in such a low place, for us to be teetering on the brink of what I fear could be a split in our party, the destruction of our party and the parting of waters that would allow radical right wing parties… to sweep into the gap that we would leave – that is something that should leave all of us genuinely afraid.”

Hitting back at the shadow Chancellor’s remarks on Sunday, Kate Green, the Labour MP who is chairing Mr Smith’s campaign, said: “The irony of John McDonnell offering hollow words on party unity will not be lost on Labour members and supporters.

“Since the devastating referendum result, Owen has worked tirelessly to unite the party, negotiating with Jeremy, with trade unions, and with people across the Labour movement in an effort to bring all parts of the party together. While John, who previously referred to the Labour Party as just a 'tactic', has remained relaxed about the prospect of the party splitting.

“This leadership election should be about the candidates debating their visions for the future of Labour and the country. John should reflect on Jeremy's commitment not to descend into personal attacks and innuendo. Owen has a positive, radical and credible plan to end austerity and take the fight to the Tories. He will continue to make that case and not be side-tracked by internal arguments."