Sadiq Khan has backed Owen Smith in the Labour leadership election, saying a change at the top of the party is needed to win the next general election.
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Writing in The Observer, Khan says that Corbyn “has already proved that he is unable to organize an effective team, and has failed to win the trust and respect of the British people”.
Dugdale last month described Corbyn as “not competent” to lead Labour because 80 per cent of his MPs had no confidence in him, putting her support behind his challenger.
Mr Khan, whose success in the capital last May was Labour’s best result in an otherwise disappointing set of local elections, said Mr Corbyn had lost the confidence of Labour MPs and failed to win over the public.
Katie Green, a chair of the campaign of Corbyn’s rival for party leadership, Owen Smith, said: “These kind of violent and deeply offensive remarks make a mockery of Jeremy’s ‘kinder, gentler politics.’ Jeremy should be condemning his comments”.
“If we give up on winning, we give up on the very people who need us the most”, the former Tooting MP says. Corbyn also came under fire for running a lackluster campaign in favor of the Remain movement.
Edwin Jeffries, who is president of the Hartlepool Constituency Labour Party, cited Mr Corbyn’s focus on grass-roots politics and his efforts to protect society’s most vulnerable people as key reasons for his staunch following. The country’s decision to leave the European Union did not sit well with the mayor, who also criticised Mr Corbyn’s performance in the European Union referendum campaign.
Corbyn, a veteran left-wing member of parliament, was criticised by fellow lawmakers for failing to persuade thousands of traditional Labour supporters to back staying in the bloc and for calling for an immediate beginning to divorce proceedings.
Khan, who nominated Corbyn previous year and says he does not regret the decision, also criticises Corbyn’s leadership skills, saying that “Jeremy has already proved that he is unable to organise an effective team”.
Mr Smith said he was “honoured” to receive Mr Khan’s support.
A spokesman for the Jeremy for Labour campaign, said Mr Corbyn had even defended Mr Khan in the Commons at Prime Minister’s Questions when David Cameron accused him of having links with extremists.
Speaking on Friday, Mr Corbyn said his message appealed “all across the country”.
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But he admitted during the party’s latest leadership debate that Labour will have to appeal to people who have previously considered voting for the Conservatives.
