JEREMY CORBYN was “set up” by his parliamentary opponents who blamed him for Britain’s vote to leave the EU, John McDonnell said at the weekend.

But the shadow chancellor urged left activists to “meet provocation with comradeship,” saying he was “fed up of divisions and splits and arguments.”

Speaking at a conference organised by left group Momentum this weekend, Mr McDonnell urged activists to volunteer for positions in their local parties.

He said he wanted to “build a party that is based on comradeship and solidarity” and end Labour’s internal strife.

“If I can offer to have tea with Peter Mandelson, you can work with everybody as well,” he said.

“I don’t want leadership elections to be perennial affairs, we’ve elected a leader, elected him twice.

“We expect loyalty to the principle of democracy, not to the personality.”

Addressing last summer’s leadership challenge, the shadow chancellor said Labour had been recovering its strength in the polls and performing well in by-elections and local polls before the EU referendum.

“Jeremy was set up on the EU referendum,” he told the conference.

“He campaigned all round the country — to be frank, an exhausting itinerary.

“We argued the right course — remain but reform. We mobilised seven out of 10 Labour voters.

“They set him up to blame him for the referendum, and used that as an excuse for the coup.”

The conference came a week after Labour deputy leader Tom Watson launched an extraordinary attack on Momentum. He said the faction was behind an “entryism plot” to seize Labour for the left.

Responding to the claims in a plenary address, north London councillor Joe Ejiofor said: “We believe Momentum should be treated no differently from [right-wing factions] Labour First or Progress, as we seek to get our people elected as Labour MPs, councillors and mayors, and influence the party from the left.”

Elsa Gonzalez, a member of the London circle of Spanish left party Podemos, called on Momentum to join forces with progressive movements across Europe.

She said: “How are we going to take power away from an international alliance on our own? “We will count on you, and you can count on us.”