Labour MP John Mann wants asset-rich activists to pay £1,000 for party membership

Asset-rich Labour activists should be forced to pay £1,000 a year rather than the standard £47 to join the party, according to John Mann. The Bassetlaw MP said the increased rate would be a "more egalitarian contribution" for activists with houses worth more than £1m.

"To consolidate these socialist principles, the Labour wealth tax should be based on the total number of properties owned, so that those with second homes and property empires have the opportunity to make a more egalitarian contribution," he explained.

"Some might want to label this as the Labour mansion tax, which in reality it is, but it is enabling the Socialist principle of redistribution of wealth which for many goes to the very core of the Labour Party's values and priorities. Those who happen to have seen their property dramatically escalate in value face the prospect of huge future benefits from this. Those who live in less prosperous areas do not have that luxury."

The proposal come after Corbyn's leadership led to Labour's membership numbers surging past 380,000 after he secured a shock victory in September 2015.

But Mann, the first Labour MP to call for Gordon Brown's resignation after the 2010 General Election, has been an outspoken critic of Corbyn.

He refused to give his support to Corbyn when pressed by the BBC 2's Daily Politics in November over Labour's defence policies. Mann backed Yvette Cooper during Labour's leadership election.

Bassetlaw MP's proposals comes after the BBC leaked an internal report from Labour into the party's general election performance. But the probe, led by former minister Margaret Beckett, reportedly did not blame Ed Miliband's left-wing policies, such as the Mansion Tax, for the loss.