Labour deputy leader Tom Watson to skip main party conference speech in major break from convention

Mr Watson will speak to activists at a fringe event at the party's annual gathering instead

Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson will not speak from the main stage at Labour conference (PA)

Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson will break from convention by opting not to speak from the main stage at the party's annual conference.

Mr Watson's office confirmed that he would seek to address party activists at a fringe event at Labour's gathering in Liverpool in a fortnight - rather than making a traditional conference hall speech alongside other senior party figures.

His decision to tell officials to give his slot to Richard Corbett, the leader of Labour's MEPs, comes after his name was missing from the conference agenda last month, prompting speculation that he was being rebuked over criticisms of Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Watson has been vocal in his disapproval of the handling of antisemitism allegations that have dogged the party, saying Labour would "disappear into a vortex of eternal shame and embarrassment” if the problem could not be resolved.

However a Labour source said Mr Watson's right to give a speech in the conference hall had never been in doubt.

His spokesperson said: “There has obviously been great difficulty with the conference agenda this year and Tom felt it was more important for the leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party (EPLP) to have the opportunity to address the conference on Brexit.

"He has therefore requested that the political team in the leader’s office and the Conference Arrangements Committee facilitate this.”

The shadow culture secretary, who has spoken from the conference hall each year since becoming deputy leader in 2015, will now address a fringe event instead.

A Labour source said: "The timing of other speeches has no effect on Tom's speech, which is in the timetable. There's no need for him to give up his slot."

The wrangle comes ahead of what promises to be a fiery Labour conference amid deep divisions over Brexit and the handling of antisemitism complaints.