Phil Wilson is said to be among a group of Labour MPs who vehemently oppose the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, according to an alleged leak.
A hit-list of Labour MPs, published by the Times, has reportedly been drawn up by Mr Corbyn’s political secretary, Katy Clark.
It claims Sedgefield MP Mr Wilson is among a group said to be “hostile” towards the Labour chief.
The group also allegedly includes Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Tom Blenkinsop and Tynemouth MP Alan Campbell.
But Mr Wilson has dismissed the alleged list – insisting the party should be concentrating on more important issues.
He told Aycliffe Today: “We’ve got a bigger task at hand in taking on the Tories, who are proving themselves to be incompetent at the moment with the Budget, Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation and their civil war over Europe.
“Our attention shouldn’t be on drawing up lists of where MPs stand in the Parliamentary Labour Party, it should be on taking on the Conservative Party and focussing on the big issues.”
Mr Corbyn’s office has attempted to distance the leader from the list, and sent an email to MPs which said: “This has nothing to do with Jeremy Corbyn’s office and does not reflect his views.”
In the alleged list, a number of other North-East MPs were reportedly labelled “core group negative”, including Redcar MP Anna Turley, Houghton and Sunderland South MP Bridget Phillipson, Sunderland Central MP Julie Elliott and North Durham MP Kevan Jones.
MPs named as being in the most loyal group of Mr Corbyn’s supporters include Wansbeck MP and Shadow Trade Unions Minister Ian Lavery, Gateshead MP Ian Mearns,Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell, Middlesbrough MP and Shadow Transport Minister Andy McDonald and Easington MP Grahame Morris.
The list then sets out Labour MPs in “core group plus” – the second most loyal category.
These include Stockton North MP and Shadow Environment Minister Alex Cunningham, Newcastle Central MP and Shadow Business Minister Chi Onwurah, Blaydon MP and Labour whip Dave Anderson, and Emma Lewell-Buck, the MP for South Shields and a Shadow Local Government Secretary.
They also include Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman, North Tyneside MP Mary Glindon, City of Durham MP and Shadow Housing Minister Roberta Blackman-Woods, Washington and Sunderland West MP Sharon Hodgson, who is a shadow education minister, Jarrow MP Stephen Hepburn.
A group described as “neutral but not hostile” includes Newcastle North MP Catherine McKinnell, Hartlepool MP Iain Wright and Newcastle East MP Nick Brown.
David Cameron used Prime Minister’s Questions as an opportunity to mock the Opposition over the list, telling the Labour leader, “I thought I had problems” and putting himself as a “core” supporter of Mr Corbyn.
