Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in London after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, June 24, 2016. “Our people need Labour party members, trade unionists and MPs to unite behind my leadership at a critical time for our country”. The leaders of 12 big unions putting out a statement the day after the Brexit vote in support of Corbyn, insisting the task was to “focus on speaking up for jobs and workers’ rights under threat”.
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The latest development came as Angela Eagle, one of those who resigned, confirmed that she was formally challenging Corbyn for the Labour leadership.
He said: “The only politics I have seen in the last nine months is an increase in abuse, threats to my fellow MPs”.
He also promised to scrap Britain’s nuclear weapons if elected prime minister.
Corbyn, however, dug in his heels.
There were further calls for Mr Corbyn to quit with a letter signed by 540 Labour councillors posted on the LabourList website saying he was “unable to command the confidence of the whole party nor of many traditional Labour supporters we speak with on the doorstep”.
Among the Labourites bolting over the Brexit issue was Luciana Berger, a Jewish lawmaker who had resisted repeated calls by Jews and non-Jews to distance herself from Corbyn over the anti-Semitism issue in the party.
The unprecedented vote piles on pressure on the Labour leader following the mass walk-out by Labour front benchers.
Dame Tessa Jowell told Mr Corbyn it was “absolutely clear that your continued leadership is putting the Labour Party’s future in jeopardy and denying millions of people in our country who so desperately need representation by a Labour government”.
Though widely expected, the Labour vote of no confidence underscores the depth of opposition Corbyn faces.
However, sources said she had made a decision to hold off because of the turmoil engulfing the Conservatives following the shock withdrawal of Boris Johnson from the leadership race.
The attempted coup against Corbyn comes amid a widening split within Labour between its moderate center and the left-of-center camp supporting Corbyn.
His opponents in the Labour Party question whether he can ever win over voters in the party’s heartlands. His rise within Labour coincided with an influx into the party of tens of thousands of his supporters – a process that many observers said also led to the proliferation of anti-Semitic speech and conspiracy theories.
The fear for the rebels seeking to oust Mr Corbyn is that the grassroots activists who propelled him to the leadership a year ago will return him again in any new contest, leaving him even more firmly entrenched in his position. Livingstone was suspended from the party.
One Twitter user said Corbyn looked “broken”.
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Corbyn himself has stressed that he rejects all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism.
