SENIOR Labour MPs who nominated Jeremy Corbyn have been “punished” by party whips, right-wing blogger Guido Fawkes reported yesterday.

The controversial site quoted Labour sources saying whips had tried to scupper the MPs’ chances of winning chairmanships on parliamentary select committees.

Corbyn backers Sarah Champion, Huw Irranca-Davies and Frank Field all stood for election, but it is claimed Labour whips tried to give the trio a “punishment beating” by briefing against them to other MPs.

The whips are apparently “furious” that Mr Corbyn got the 35 nominations needed to get onto the ballot paper because they had been hoping for a “clean contest.”

But the underhand tactics appear to have been ill-received by Labour MPs.

Mr Irranca-Davies was elected environment committee chairwoman, and Mr Field is the new head of the work and pensions selection committee.