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Jeremy Corbyn supporters hold #KeepCorbyn campaign march at Westminster

Ms Powell was among 11 shadow cabinet members to resign on Sunday, while Hilary Benn was sacked from his post as shadow foreign secretary after months of frustration among Labour MPs over Mr Corbyn’s leadership.

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However, in light of the deeply disappointing referendum result caused, in part, by the half-hearted and lacklustre role that you played in the campaign, I have come to the conclusion that you are no longer able to lead our party.

Jeremy has lost the confidence of the party, including many members who initially supported him, and he should now do the honourable thing and resign.

“In the aftermath of the most significant political event in Britain since the Second World War, the job of the Labour Party is to provide an effective opposition and, in the absence of any proper leadership from the Tories, a credible, alternative government that would benefit working class communities like Hartlepool”.

A spokesman for the Labour Party denied the claims and said the leaked emails were an attempt to “de-stabilise” Mr Corbyn’s position. But his relationship with elected lawmakers has always been fragile, with many questioning whether the party could win a national election on such a ticket.

When these Labour MPs got together and decided that a coordinated mass resignation would be the best way of toppling Jeremy Corbyn, they clearly didn’t even bother to think about the damage they would be doing to the Labour Party by launching a coup attempt as such an inopportune moment.

The Scottish question looms large because Sturgeon has also said another referendum on Scottish independence from Britain is “highly likely” as a result of Britain’s decision to leave the EU.

‘A small number of Labour MPs are using this as an opportunity to oust Jeremy, disrespect the Labour membership who elected him and disregard our movement for a new kind of politics. “Today I have resigned from the Shadow Cabinet”, Ian Murray tweeted.

The Labour leader held crisis talks with Mr Watson in Westminster where he was left in no doubt that he would face a challenge to his position.

Although I respect you as a man of principle it has become increasingly evident during recent campaigns that the electorate in my constituency are not convinced that you can lead Labour to victory in a general election.

“The country has to come first and, given what happened on Thursday and what we saw on Friday morning, with the pound crashing to a 31-year low, we need to look at the stock exchange – that’s people’s pensions”.

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Watson was seen checking his phone while waiting for a train back to London early on Sunday morning.

Pedestrians cross a road in front of the Big Ben clock face and the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament in central London on Sunday. — AFP