Labour rebels 'could keep jobs despite Brexit Bill defiance'

Rebel Labour frontbenchers who defied Jeremy Corbyn to vote against the Bill to trigger the Brexit negotiations may still retain their jobs, according to shadow chancellor John McDonnell.

Only members of Mr Corbyn's top shadow cabinet team who opposed the EU (Notification Of Withdrawal) Bill in the Commons on Wednesday will be forced to quit immediately, Mr McDonnell said.

However a decision on whether 10 junior shadow ministers and three whips who voted against the Bill will also have to go will not be taken until it has completed its passage through the Commons next week.

Mr McDonnell said chief whip Nick Brown would make a report to Mr Corbyn with a recommendation as to what action should be taken.

"The parliamentary convention will apply, which is that ,if you are in the cabinet or shadow cabinet, you will stand down," Mr McDonnell told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"For other positions that will be for the chief whip to report and that will be in due course. I am not going to pre-empt what the whip is going to recommend."