Stop the anonymous briefings and show respect, two ministers tell Labour MPs

Yvette Cooper and Jonathan Reynolds urge colleagues to support each other and remember ‘who we’re here to serve’

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Two cabinet ministers have warned Labour colleagues against damaging anonymous briefings as the party prepares for a probable leadership contest, arguing it is disrespectful to voters to wage a factional war in public.

The comments by Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, and Jonathan Reynolds, the chief whip, came as Labour MPs gathered late on Monday for the weekly meeting of the parliamentary Labour party.