Britain’s opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn on Monday condemned “internal maneuvering” after more than half his top team resigned in barely 24 hours, but insisted he would not go himself, despite a rising tide of criticism of his role in the “Brexit” crisis.
Twenty members of the Labour Party leader’s shadow Cabinet have so far resigned in a rolling series of departures triggered by Corbyn’s weekend sacking of his foreign affairs spokesman Hilary Benn.
The veteran socialist, widely blamed for failing to rally the party’s core working-class vote to support the “Remain” campaign, said the nation was divided after Thursday last week’s shock vote.
Photo: Bloomberg
“Our country is divided and the country will thank neither the benches in front of me, nor those behind, for indulging in internal... maneuvering at this time,” Corbyn told the House of Commons in a debate with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
He insisted he would stand again as leader if another contest was called.
Corbyn was flanked by his stony-faced deputy, Tom Watson, in the front row of green Labour Party benches, his own lawmakers facing the Conservative Party ranked behind Cameron across the parliamentary chamber.
Corbyn had earlier insisted he would not betray the trust of the party members who elected him in September last year and vowed to “reshape” his shadow Cabinet.
“Don’t let the media divide us, don’t let those people who wish us ill divide us, stay together, strong and united for the kind of world we want to live in,” Corbyn told a cheering rally of supporters outside parliament.
The gathering of about 2,000 young grassroots activists brandished placards with slogans such as “Corbyn In, Tories Out.”
However, the Daily Mirror, historically a Labour Party-supporting newspaper, was not on side, instead adding its voice to calls for Corbyn to leave. “Go now” read its front page.
The drama within the Labour Party broke over the weekend with the sacking of foreign affairs spokesman Hilary Benn, who had told Corbyn he did not have confidence in his leadership.
“He’s a good and decent man, but he is not a leader and that’s the problem,” Benn told the BBC.
Benn’s departure triggered a wave of resignations, hour by hour, with many of his team publishing letters of criticism on Twitter.
“It’s just not working,” a tearful shadow business secretary Angela Eagle told the BBC.
The result of a secret ballot of Labour lawmakers on a no-confidence motion on Corbyn was expected to be announced yesterday.
Any challenger to Corbyn would need the support of 20 percent of the party’s 229 lawmakers and it would then be put to party members, who are strongly supportive of the leader.
Critics say Corbyn — who for decades had expressed euroskeptic views — could have done more to sway voters ahead of last week’s referendum.
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