Ed Miliband 'must clarify Falkirk claims'

Ed Miliband is refusing to back down in his fight with Labour's biggest union backer over its influence in the party.

The Labour leader has asked police to look at alleged irregularities in a candidate selection race in Falkirk.

Speaking to Today programme presenter James Naughtie, Jim Sheridan, Labour MP and chairman of Unite the Union Parliamentary Group at Westminster, explained:

"No one will undermine the integrity of the [Labour] party and he's quite right doing what he's doing but what he's also got to do is make clear what the facts are, what the accusations are."

Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps explained that he believes the Labour leader must act:

"Ed Miliband has suspended this Unite-backed candidate from membership in Falkirk. It therefore applies that in all the other seats that Unite have been attempting to rig he should suspend the other 40 candidates there, if it's proved."

"All those memberships that have been paid, in some cases for people that didn't know they were being signed up to the Labour party... those should be paid back, presumably, or revoked."

First broadcast on the Today programme on Saturday 6 July.