Plans for a female Labour deputy leader have been withdrawn amid concerns that they could undermine Jeremy Corbyn.

The plan, to introduce a second deputy leader post to ensure there would always be both a male and female deputy,  was put forward by Wirral West Constituency Labour Party.

The move had originally been seen as a way to not only tackle the longstanding issue of Labour never having had a female leader, but to sideline deputy leader and Corbyn rival Tom Watson.

Labour Party annual conference 2018
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (left) and deputy leader Tom Watson at the party’s annual conference in Liverpool (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

But Mr Watson and trade unions supported the plan and the National Executive Committee (NEC) voted to back it on the eve of the conference in Liverpool on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Angela Marincowitz-Skillen, from Wirral West CLP, spoke in support of the principle but unexpectedly withdrew the plan, appearing to ask the National Executive Committee to find a way to hold both deputy leader elections at the same time.

She said: “There have been disturbing reports that this rule change has widespread support because those who want to divide our party and deny Jeremy Corbyn want to use this as a way to do it, making an election about a new deputy leader about Brexit, a new centre party or whatever project they think up to sow disunity.

“I want to say to those people the membership are sick of this sectarian game.

“You can see this election for a new deputy leader as a vehicle for division or as a vehicle for unity, which will strengthen our team as we go into a new general election.

“But this general election could happen any day now. On that basis we would like to remit our motion to allow the NEC to look at both positions being elected together to maximise support for Jeremy Corbyn.”

Speaking to BBC Politics, Mr Watson said: “The hard-left group, the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, opposed a second deputy leader, which I think is a great shame, because they’ve got nothing to fear with more women at the top table.”

Reacting to the decision, Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips tweeted: “It’s not a factional game for God’s sake”.

Former NEC member Luke Akehurst tweeted: “Disgusting that Wirral West remitting has killed the chance of a woman second Deputy Leader – because the Hard Left were scared a moderate would win, scared of party democracy.”

Conference had been abuzz with speculation over who could take over the deputy role, which would see them as leader-in-waiting.

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry, shadow equalities minister Dawn Butler, shadow education secretary Angela Rayner, shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey and shadow home secretary Diane Abbott were contenders.