Labour told to leave Owen Jones alone, says Dan Hodges

Labour have been told to leave newspaper columnist Owen Jones alone, effectively making him a "made man within the party" said a Blairite Telegraph writer.

Dan Hodges said it was an open secret the party was courting the Independent journalist as it reached out to those "disaffected" with the party.

Mr Jones had been having a twitter spat with Labour MP Simon Danczuk over benefit changes for the newly-unemployed, which led to a feisty debate on Tuesday's Daily Politics.

But Labour MP Emma Reynolds dismissed Mr Hodges' claims as "total rubbish" and said there had been no instructions about the blogger, and that Mr Jones did not speak for the party.

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