Are Labour MPs worried about Jeremy Corbyn?

Some Labour MPs are worried about the prospect of the party being led by Jeremy Corbyn

The spotlight in the Labour leadership race is shining firmly on the contest's frontrunner, Jeremy Corbyn. BBC political correspondent Carole Walker gauges the mood in the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Of course the polls could be wrong, of course many votes have not yet been cast, but many Labour MPs are already facing up to the prospect that Jeremy Corbyn could be their next leader and some have serious concerns about what that will mean.

Mr Corbyn has made it clear he would expect Labour MPs to support his plans if he wins. He told the Independent newspaper he would use his supporters across the country to push his agenda on to the parliamentary party.

Mike Gapes says he won't bite his lip

But some MPs believe the left-winger would find it almost impossible to command loyalty, given his history of serial rebellion against successive Labour leaders.

Mike Gapes, a former chairman of the foreign affairs select committee told me he and others would fight against any attempt to change the party's position on fundamental issues.

"I will not vote in parliament for policies I disagree with," he told me. "And I will not loyally bite my lip and bite my tongue and go through a lobby for someone with a record of 500 rebellions against my party and its whip over the last 30 years."

'Online abuse'

Some with similar views are reluctant to express them publicly - one told me he had received huge amounts of abuse online after criticising Mr Corbyn.

Others believe attempts to take on Mr Corbyn and challenge his stance would provide further ammunition for his anti-establishment narrative.

Most MPs do not expect there would be any immediate attempt to remove Mr Corbyn if he does win.

They point out that MPs could not be seen to be challenging the democratic will of the party and they point out that if they did move quickly to trigger another contest, it would probably lead to the same result and could even provide a further boost to Mr Corbyn's reputation as the voice of ordinary members.

Chuka Umunna is one of the MPs in the Labour for the Common Good group

But shadow cabinet members Chuka Umunna and Tristram Hunt are already setting up a group called Labour for the Common Good to pursue alternative ideas and policies.

Sources involved in the project deny it is the start of a resistance movement, but say it would be a "space for the parliamentary party to promote moderate ideas".

It is already attracting interest from across the centre and right of the party amongst MPs who fear disaster if Mr Corbyn were to lead them into the next election.

Several are already predicting that Mr Corbyn would not last that long. Others say it would depend on his performance at Prime Minister's Questions and at the party conference.

Shadow cabinet

"It will depend on how clever he is," another told me. He believes that if Mr Corbyn does genuinely try to be inclusive and to avoid big arguments he could steer his party through choppy waters. But others point out he hardly has a track-record as a team player and may have to move swiftly to establish his party's stance on benefit cuts or the future of Trident.

Mr Corbyn's team have confirmed he does not plan to bring back elections for Shadow Cabinet positions, so he can appoint whom he chooses to his team.

Several current members have already made it clear they would not serve. A small minority of Labour MPs nominated Mr Corbyn but if he wins he will have a powerful mandate from ordinary members and trade unionists across the country.

Many MPs are already braced for a stormy autumn. This leadership contest could prove to be the start of an even bigger struggle over the future of the Labour party.