(Bloomberg) -- Tom Watson is fighting to remain as deputy leader of the U.K.’s opposition Labour Party in a rift that exposes divisions on the first day of its conference and weeks before a possible general election.

The ruling National Executive Committee made a surprise move to cut the deputy leader’s position on Friday, sparking fury from Labour members of Parliament. The motion was rejected because it was ruled out of order, but the panel is expected to vote again on Saturday morning.

The move was “a drive-by shooting,” Watson told BBC Radio. “This conference is supposed to be a platform for what could be a general election in six weeks. We can’t have this sectarianism.”

Watson, who was elected on a separate mandate from leader Jeremy Corbyn, has publicly disagreed with the leadership on Brexit policy and has been pushing for a second referendum on the issue before a general election is held. He’s also been critical of the party’s slow response to allegations of anti-semitism.

The deputy leader said the move to abolish his post was driven by Jon Lansman, who founded and runs Momentum, a grassroots group set up to support Corbyn’s leadership, and Len McCluskey, leader of the Unite labor union, the party’s biggest financial backer.

Corbyn could block the move by telling Lansman and McCluskey “that this is damaging to the party,” Watson said. He said he would dial in to the meeting Saturday in Brighton because he’s in Manchester so can’t attend in person.

“What I’ve been trying to do is hold the different traditions of the party together,” he said. “I can’t not speak out on Brexit, it’s such a fundamental issue for this country.”

The attempts to remove Watson were criticized by prominent Labour MPs including former leader Ed Miliband and Yvette Cooper.

Labour, the main U.K. opposition party, is holding its annual conference in Brighton, where it had planned to set out its agenda for the expected general election and highlight dividing lines from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party.

Dawn Butler, the women and equalities spokeswoman in Corbyn’s shadow cabinet, told the BBC she was “surprised” by the motion and frustrated that it is overshadowing the party’s policy announcements.

“The sole focus this week should be on taking the fight to Boris Johnson,” Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said in an emailed statement. “What we need at this time is unity and a focus on winning the upcoming election.“

To contact the reporters on this story: Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.net;James Amott in London at jamott@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew Davis at abdavis@bloomberg.net, Sara Marley, James Amott

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