Tom Watson resigns - Labour bloodsports

"I wanna break you in half" is the title of one of the tracks of Tom Watson's favourite band, Drenge.

That may come as no surprise to those who have been taken on by this heavyweight political bruiser over the years.

His supporters may recall the moment he confronted James Murdoch over phone hacking, likening him to a "mafia boss." His detractors will remind you of the time he tried to organise a coup to remove Tony Blair and install Gordon Brown as prime minister.

Ed Miliband knew what he was getting when he hired him as Labour's election coordinator. The Labour leader wanted Watson's ruthlessness, organisational skill and campaigning zeal to help him reach Number 10. Today, though, Miliband has had to accept Watson's resignation.

The reason is clear. A growing number of senior Labour figures believed that Watson was using his influence over the selection of Labour parliamentary candidates to re-make the party in his own image - more working class and less Blairite.

They believed that he was working with Len McCluskey the General Secretary of the Unite union to achieve this goal. Words on Watson's blog a few days ago revealed what he was thinking as he watched his favourite band play Glastonbury and left little doubt as to his analysis about what the Labour Party needed:

"It's belief. Belief in ourselves. Belief in the great cause of social progress. The marketing men, the spin people and the special advisers: they've won. For those brief minutes of Drenge I wanted to sack them all"

He also said:

"It's been missing from the Labour Party since Tony Blair marched us into the arid desert of pragmatism that was so electorally successful"

Watson has now walked away leaving his leader wounded.

Ed Miliband rejected his resignation on Tuesday and scripted a defence of Watson for Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions.

At the Downing Street barbeque tonight Tory MPs will be congratulating David Cameron for making the issue of Watson,

Unite and Miliband's leadership one which the public will now hear about.

Drenge have another track called "Bloodsports". Very appropriate.