Former shadow chancellor: Labour should abstain on surplus vote

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has angered some in the Labour party by performing a U-turn on their support for government plans to force future governments to keep a budget surplus.

His predecessor in the role, Chris Leslie, told the Today programme that he did not understand why McDonnell had supported the government a couple of weeks ago and it was now important to be clear about where the Labour party stands.

His advice for the party, he said, is to abstain on the vote and be clear and consistent in their criticism of the government.