Labour’s split, as with everything in British politics these days, stems directly from the Brexit, with the overwhelming majority of Labour leaders opposed to the Brexit, and many accusing Corbyn of not being sufficiently vocal against the vote, or even secretly voting for it.
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SM: So he won’t have difficulties filling his Cabinet as he does now after a win in a future leadership election?
Labour’s 229 members of Parliament will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday to vote on the no-confidence motion, with the results due to be announced soon after.
Although 23 ministers have resigned from the Shadow Cabinet, along with a similar number of junior ministers, the Labour leader remains adament he will not be forced to resign.
Critics say Corbyn – who for decades had expressed eurosceptic views – could have done more to sway voters ahead of last Thursday’s referendum.
As Mr Corbyn’s aides finished briefing the press, a clearly angered Mr Woodcock attacked the team for revealing details of the “private” meeting.
More than half of Corbyn’s shadow cabinet have quit, but he has stood firm, warning the rebels they face the fury of the party’s grassroots if they force a leadership vote.
The furious row erupted amid another day of high drama in what one Labour MP described as a “battle for the soul” of the party.
Mr Corbyn appealed for “unity” and told the crowd: “Don’t let the people who wish us ill divide us”.
Chants including “Tories out, Corbyn in!” and “Jez we can”, as they demanded that critical Labour MPs “back off” and threatened them with deselection by their local parties.
In the early hours of Sunday, Corbyn dismissed shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn, who was rallying party members to resign if the Labour leader refused to stand down.
“Too many of our supporters were taken in by right-wing arguments and I believe this happened, in part, because under your leadership the case to remain in the European Union was made with half-hearted ambivalence rather than full-throated clarity”, shadow business secretary Angela Eagle wrote in a resignation letter that she later posted on Twitter. Party deputy leader Tom Watson has warned Corbyn that a leadership challenge is imminent. Corbyn believes he can still count on those who elected him, but the results of the European Union referendum paint a more uncertain picture.
Mr Corbyn himself went straight from the meeting to join a large rally called to support him in Parliament Square by hard-left support group Momentum where activists waved red flags, beat drums and yelled in support of the leader.
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The former shadow business secretary is among those tipped as a possible challenger to take on Mr Corbyn.
