BBC News Channel

Ross Hawkins
Political correspondent

Hilary Benn has told Jeremy Corbyn that he will respect the Labour leader's mandate and support his views, the shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said.

McDonnell said Benn had not been "muzzled".

Those close to Benn are understood to be furious over claims he has struck an agreement not to criticise Corbyn.

McDonnell said: "He said to Jeremy on the working relationship, I respect your mandate as the leader which was an overwhelming mandate, biggest mandate any political leader has had from their own party, I'll respect your mandate, I'll respect your views and I'll support them."

He said, as he has all day, that in the event of Mr Benn taking a different view from the leadership in a free vote the shadow foreign secretary would speak from the back benches.

"He has not been muzzled at all, he will represent the Labour Party in Parliament on foreign affairs issues," Mr McDonnell said.

David Cameron quoted Shakespeare plays including Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors as he poked fun at Labour's first reshuffle under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership during Prime Minister's Questions.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Labour's Lillian Greenwood and Nick Gibb, for the Tories, have been reflecting on Prime Minister's Questions on the World at One. The shadow transport secretary says Mr Corbyn was right to go on flood defences, saying the government is spending £115m less in real terms than it was in 2010. The government's approach, she suggests, has been characterised by ministers "wading through the waters" in the aftermath of flooding incidents and "disappearing as soon as the TV cameras have gone away". 

But Mr Gibb says the government will spend £2.3bn over the lifetime of the Parliament on flood defences, compared with £1.7bn during the previous five years. The government, he insists, is committed to "rebuilding and strengthening our flood defences in all parts of the country" and suggests claims that ministers refused to finance a flood defence scheme in Leeds are not correct. 

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Kevan Jones suggests Labour's defence policy is now being "controlled" by the "North London part of the party" - a reference to the fact that Jeremy Corbyn and Emily Thornberry represent neighbouring constituencies in Islington. He says this will be "greeted with dismay" by people who believe Labour must represent the whole of the UK. Shadow transport secretary Lillian Greenwood - who has remained in post - says Mr Corbyn has the "prerogative" to re-assemble his top team and it is "disappointing" that the focus is on the reshuffle rather than the government's failings. On a personal level, she says reshuffles are always difficult. Labour needs to show it can hold the government to account, she adds, and show it has an alternative programme for government. 

Tom Harris, a former Scottish Labour MP, argues why he thinks it's time for politicians to tell their constituents what they really think of them. His soapbox appeared on Wednesday's Daily Politics programme.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Kevan Jones tells the BBC says there has "been nothing straightforward and honest" about the reshuffle, saying it is incorrect - as some are suggesting - that Maria Eagle wanted to move from defence, making it clear that she didn't. Labour's leadership is "very top-down", he suggests, where opposing views are not listened to. He says Labour has "to be credible" on defence, adding that both he and Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson think Emily Thornberry's appointment as shadow defence secretary was a "mistake". While he gets on well with Mr Corbyn, he says he is being badly advised and there is "no party management".

BBC Radio 5 Live

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

One of the Labour MPs who has resigned this morning, Jonathan Reynolds, tells the BBC that he could not agree with Pat McFadden's sacking, a move which he said had pushed him "over the edge". He says there is a danger the direction the party is heading in could leave it "geographically unbalanced" and "too London-centric". The length of time it took to complete the reshuffle was "bizarre", he adds, and "left the impression that we are not where we should be in terms of readiness to govern"

The Daily Politics

Kevan Jones, a former shadow defence minister, wrote in his resignation letter to Jeremy Corbyn that he decided to step down over his views on the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system.

He said: 

The Daily Politics

Conservative Sir Alan Duncan has described himself as a "non-frothing outer" when it comes to the EU referendum, saying David Cameron "would have to pull a pretty big rabbit out of the hat" in order to persuade him otherwise.

Labour's Lisa Nandy replied that her party was "united on Europe - unlike you".

BBC News Channel

Labour's Ian Austin has said the resignation of Kevan Jones, a shadow defence minister is a "very, very big blow". He said he was a "brilliant defence spokeman".

He called Jeremy Corbyn's communications director, Seamus Milne an "absolute disgrace" for his behaviour over the last few weeks.. He said the reshuffle had been a "shambles from start to finish" blaming the team around Mr Corbyn.