In what is described as a dramatic intervention, Khan has urged party members to dump Corbyn describing him as a “disastrous leader who must share a large part of the blame for Britain’s forthcoming exit from the EU”.
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Khan, elected Mayor of London in May after winning the job from the Conservative Party, says Labour faces all-but-certain defeat at the next general election without a change of leadership.
“He has lost the confidence of more than 80% of Labour’s MPs in parliament – and I am afraid we simply can not afford to go on like this”, wrote Khan, who had proposed Corbyn as the leader during the September 2015 leadership election.
Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith have been fighting an increasingly bitter head-to-head battle for the Labour leadership since former Pensions Secretary Angela Eagle pulled out of the race on 19 July, backing Smith.
Rival Owen Smith hit back at the claims, saying he did not believe the party can topple the Tories under Corbyn’s “ineffective leadership”.
“I’ve been a member of Labour for more than 30 years and in that time I have not exactly been wild about every leader but I have backed them and it is important that we all do that”.
Explaining his backing for Mr Smith, Mr Khan added: “On the big issues Owen and I have been on the same side of the argument, including opposing the Iraq War”. Corbyn backed the campaign to remain in the European Union, but was criticized for lackluster campaigning.
More than 1,000 councillors from across the United Kingdom signed an open letter supporting the Pontypridd MP, who is locked in a battle for the Labour top job with current leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Labour had campaigned for Britain to remain in the European Union (EU) but Corbyn – the extreme left-wing MP who was elected leader of the main Opposition party in a landslide victory a year ago – was believed to be more inclined towards Brexit despite campaigning for remain.
The Pontypridd MP will go head-to-head with divisive leader Jeremy Corbyn in a leadership contest next month.
Khan, a Labour member, did not mention the anti-Semitism in an op-ed published Saturday in The Guardian newspaper.
“I would want to avoid us getting involved militarily by building up the diplomatic relationships and also trying to not isolate any country in Europe to bring them up”, Corbyn said.
Mr Corbyn’s campaign team said he had secured the nominations of 285 Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs), against just 53 for Mr Smith.
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Labour members will vote for their leader at the party’s conference which takes place at the end of September.
