Barry Sheerman has vowed to fight any attempts by Momentum to deselect him, telling the Examiner he has “had enough” of the far left group.
The long serving Huddersfield MP confirmed this morning on Twitter that he had written to Jeremy Corbyn to complain about an event at Huddersfield Town Hall this Friday, featuring Derby MP Chris Williamson, which is calling for the open selection of Labour’s MPs.
Mr Williamson’s so called ‘Democracy Roadshow’ was invited to Huddersfield by members of Kirklees Momentum without the knowledge or support of Mr Sheerman.
Speaking to the Examiner this afternoon, Mr Sheerman said he was incredibly angry that he and other moderate Labour MPs were being targeted.
But he said he would not back down.
“Quite honestly I’ve had enough," he said.
“I’ve had enough of secret deals and infiltration in my constituency.
“I’m not running, I’m confronting these people - they’re extremely unpleasant.
“If this man (Williamson) is an envoy of the leader, I want to know, because that has huge implications for me as a long standing MP for Huddersfield.
“I’ve had enough of trying fraternity when people are infiltrating my party who have no track record of helping our party, who suddenly think they can tell me what to do.
“We shouldn’t need to have this man coming round on the pre-text of consulting on democracy.
“That consultation is finished.”
Asked if he felt he was being targeted for de-selection, Mr Sheerman added: “It’s not just me, it’s half the serving Labour MPs in West Yorkshire.
“If they want a fight they’ve got one.”
Mr Sheerman has not been a staunch supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, once saying he might stand as a ‘stalking horse’ in a leadership battle to oust him.
In 2016 he backed a motion of no confidence in Mr Corbyn and threw his weight behind Owen Smith’s challenge for the party leadership.
Mr Williamson, who was re-elected in last year’s general election, has said his roadshow stops off wherever it has been invited and brushed off criticism that it was targeting MPs hostile to Mr Corbyn’s leadership.
Via Twitter he wrote: "As things currently stand, some MPs have a job for life.
"That's not democratic, it's not normal practice for any public institution and just like renationalising the railways, most people think Open Selections are plain common sense."
He also chided Mr Sheerman for what he said were inaccuracies in his letter to Mr Corbyn, which claimed the roadshow visits were "fully endorsed by the leadership of the party and by you personally".
Mr Williamson added: "Nowhere have I claimed that the roadshow is endorsed by Jeremy Corbyn. Barry, are you trying to sow divisions or heal them?"
Ahead of his re-election last May, Mr Sheerman, 78, who has served as an MP since 1979, vowed to serve his full term and said he wanted to go on until his 80s.
The current Father of the House is prominent Tory Ken Clarke who has been an MP since 1970.
