SIR Keir Starmer was facing a blazing battle with Corbynistas today after allies accused them of conspiring to “sabotage” his big conference.
Labour lefties ramped up their attacks on the leader in a row that risks overshadowing the party’s annual get-together in Brighton.
The spat will come to a crunch tonight as the party vote on a motion to endorse raising the minimum wage to £15.
The divisive issue advocated by the party’s left yesterday saw Andrew McDonald quit as shadow employment secretary.
He claims he was asked by Sir Keir’s team to argue against the increase and accused the leader of abandoning socialism.
Mr McDonald even pulled out of an event with his former shadow cabinet colleagues this morning and is understood to have gone back to London.
Left-wingers lamented “the last Corbynite to leave the shadow cabinet” and inflamed the row by sniping at Sir Keir.
Former leader Jeremy Corbyn accused his successor of “propping up” the establishment while ex shadow chancellor John McDonnell branded the conference a “s***show”.
‘ACT OF SABOTAGE’
But Sir Keir’s allies hit back hard and accused the left of deliberately plotting to derail the conference.
Shadow Scottish Sec Ian Murray said: “We’re not quite sure why he resigned yesterday, he seems to have said one thing and written another.
“That looks as if it might be a planned sabotage of conference, rather than it being about any principle.”
Sir Keir publicly tried to stay above the squabbling yesterday and said he was focused on winning the next election.
Tory chair Oliver Dowden ribbed that Labour shadow ministers “were now resigning from their own conference”.
