Hardcore Jeremy Corbyn fans are turning Labour into a fan club, Dame Margaret Beckett warns
Former acting leader said 'vast numbers' do not care about the party
HARDCORE Jeremy Corbyn supporters are turning the Labour Party into simply a fan club, Dame Margaret Beckett has warned.
The former acting leader, who used to sit on its National Executive Committee, said "vast numbers" do not care about the party and some would be happy to see it split.
It comes after deputy Labour leader Tom Watson claimed "Trotsky entryists" were infiltrating the party to boost Mr Corbyn's support.
More than 130,000 new members have joined the party in the last six months, many of whom are believed to support the incumbent leader.
But a successful appeal by the NEC saw them overturn a High Court decision, meaning they will not be able to vote in the contest.
Dame Margaret told the BBC Radio 4 Today show: "In principle everyone should be happy that more people are wanting to join the party, as long as it is the Labour Party they're wanting to join.
"We have had examples of people saying 'I want to join the Labour Party because of Jeremy but of course if he ceases to be the leader I shall leave'.
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"Those are not members of the Labour Party, those are members of a fan club.
"It's perfectly nice and legitimate thing to be a member of a fan club and they may get a great deal of satisfaction from it but that doesn't mean you belong to the Labour Party and I'll be sorry to think that vast numbers of those people in fact do not really want to be in the Labour Party, they just want to support Jeremy."
The leadership contest between Mr Corbyn and rival Owen Smith could split the party, she said.
She added: "That is the great fear for people who actually are Labour Party people and who want to see an alternative government to the present Government with a very different approach and values.
"Some of the people around Jeremy, (it has) unfortunately become clear in recent weeks, are perfectly happy for that to happen."