“You knew what Boris Johnsonwas: Get Brexit done. What was the Labor strapline? ”
Mr Watson announced ahead of the election he would not seek re-election for the West Bromwich East constituency – eventually won by the Conservatives on 15 December – saying the decision was personal rather than political.
But he told the newspaper that conditions within Labor were partly responsible for making his political career unsustainable.
Mr Watson added that a Labor supporter had been arrested for making a death threat via the party, but that officials had not informed him about it. “The point is that the brutality and hostility is real and it’s day to day,” he said.
“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 continued: “The return of political factionalism. The idea that you could be portrayed as the enemy within. People questioning your motives. Social media pile-ons. Condemnation from powerful trade union general secretaries on broadcast media. Internal bickering. On their own, you deal with them and they’re a part of life.
“Combine them, and you’re carrying a very heavy load. And sometimes you’ve got to realise when the balance of life shifts and there are other things that are more rewarding. ”
Mr Watson also disclosed in the interview that he had voted for Owen Smith in the leadership contest against Mr Corbyn – something he had “never said publicly before”.
“I thought, as soon as the leader loses the confidence of the Parliament party it’s almost impossible to see how they can form a government,” he said. “I thought Jeremy should have resigned, and he nearly did. But actually I was wrong on that. He went over the heads of the PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party] and won a resounding mandate from the membership. ”
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