Share

Fresh resignations heap pressure on UK opposition leader Corbyn

Anna Turley stepped down as shadow minister for civil society and Toby Perkins quit as shadow armed forces minister.

Advertisement

The spate of resignations was triggered after Hilary Benn was sacked as shadow foreign secretary for allegedly plotting a coup against Mr Corbyn.

Islington South and Finsbury MP Emily Thornberry this morning criticised the MPs revolting against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

“I was elected by hundreds of thousands of Labour Party members and supporters with an overwhelming mandate for a different kind of politics”, he said.

However, in order for us to bring about the change in this country that so many Labour voters so desperately need and want to see, the party needs to be united and ready for an early general election.

Defence secretary Michael Fallon said: “I think he is AWOL on his first parade”.

The Labour leader was flanked by stony-faced deputy leader Tom Watson as he delivered the rebuke to his MPs in the Commons.

Party sources said Mr Corbyn had been left in no doubt that the majority of his MPs wanted him to quit and had been told by Mr Watson that “it looks like we are moving towards a leadership election”.

“And I know he is not the right person to show strong leadership through Brexit negotiations”. We are losing touch with them, a process that has been under way for some time but has speeded up under your leadership’.

She added: “It’s just not working”.

A motion of no confidence is set to be considered at the PLP meeting with the possibility of a secret vote on Tuesday.

More than 3,000 people have said on Facebook they will attend the #KeepCorbyn march at Westminster, with guest speakers including trade union bosses and shadow cabinet ministers Diane Abbott and John McDonnell.

“I do not feel that our discussions this morning gave me the confidence that you can now achieve this unity”. And none of them have been touted as future leaders. We have got the guy at number 10 who is in there sulking.

“We also need a leader who can take on the Conservative government and who can lead us to a clear victory at the next general election, which may now be called sooner than anyone expected”.

Advertisement

The star of the Leave campaign wrote: “There were more than 16 million who wanted to remain”.

Corbyn Tells Labour Rebels Put Up Or Shut Up