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Tom Watson tells Corbyn he has lost his authority among Labour MPs Tom Watson tells Corbyn he has lost his authority among Labour MPs
(35 minutes later)
Jeremy Corbyn has defiantly announced a raft of shadow cabinet appointments as more frontbenchers resigned in protest, demanding he quit as Labour leader. Tom Watson has told the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, that he has lost his authority within the parliamentary party and that if there was a leadership election then members would be voting with that knowledge.
It was thought a dozen junior shadow ministers could resign on Monday – after Corbyn lost 12 members of his shadow cabinet on Sunday and faced calls to step down in the wake of last week’s EU referendum vote for Brexit and indications there could be a general election within months. In critical talks at 9am on Monday morning, the deputy leader set out how destabilising a wave of shadow cabinet and ministerial resignations had been for the party, but fell short of calling on Corbyn to resign.
Prominent frontbencher Stephen Kinnock resigned on Monday as parliamentary private secretary to Angela Eagle, the shadow first secretary of state and shadow secretary of state for business, innovation and skills. Labour sources, including those close to the leader, admitted that a leadership election was looking increasingly likely, with Watson telling Corbyn he would do his best to hold the party together.
Also quitting on Monday ahead of a crunch meeting of the parliamentary Labour party was Diana Johnson, who resigned as a shadow foreign minister. Anna Turley stepped down as shadow minister for civil society and Toby Perkins quit as shadow armed forces minister. Corbyn remained defiant, with his team reiterating his words on Sunday night: “Those who want to change Labour’s leadership will have to stand in a democratic election, in which I will be a candidate.”
Despite the resignations, the Labour leader said late on Sunday that he would not “betray the trust” of the people who voted for him and vowed to stand against anyone challenging him for the leadership. Corbyn said he would not “betray the trust” of the Labour members who voted for him.
Showing no sign of capitulating to the demands of a third of the now-former shadow cabinet, Corbyn announced a list of appointments with immediate effect. They included: Monday’s meeting came after the leader announced a raft of shadow cabinet appointments amid further frontbench resignations and calls that Corbyn stand down.
Perkins’s absence will be notable on Monday afternoon during defence questions, underlining the fact that the Labour leader will find it difficult to operate without a team around him. A party committee, including the chair of the parliamentary Labour party, John Cryer, will meet at 2pm to discuss the motion of no confidence put forward by Margaret Hodge and whether it will be voted on on Monday night. Sources said that while some of the coup had been organised, many of the resignations were taking place organically. More than dozen junior shadow ministers were resigning on Monday – following in the footsteps of 12 members of Corbyn’s shadow cabinet on Sunday. Party figures were due to meet on Monday afternoon to discuss a motion of no confidence in Corbyn, which is expected to be debated in the evening at the parliamentary Labour party (PLP).
Former shadow education secretary Lucy Powell, who resigned on Sunday, insisted the mass exodus was not a “planned coup” against Corbyn but instead a reaction to the “seismic” events that have shaken Westminster in recent days – the EU referendum result and David Cameron’s resignation. Corbyn’s supporters, mobilised by the grassroots movement Momentum, will gather to protest outside parliament during the meeting, while trade union leaders have warned Labour rebels to back off.
Labour will now have to replace a series of additional resignations, including frontbencher Stephen Kinnock, who resigned on Monday as parliamentary private secretary to Angela Eagle, the shadow first secretary of state and shadow secretary of state for business, innovation and skills.
Also quitting on Monday ahead of the crunch meeting of the PLP was Diana Johnson, who resigned as a shadow foreign minister. Anna Turley stepped down as shadow minister for civil society and Toby Perkins quit as shadow armed forces minister.
Showing no sign of capitulating to the demands of the former shadow cabinet members, Corbyn announced a list of appointments with immediate effect. They included:
Perkins’s absence will be notable on Monday afternoon in parliament during defence questions, underlining the fact that the Labour leader will find it difficult to operate without a team around him. Sources said that while some of the coup had been organised, many of the resignations were taking place organically.
Chris Leslie MP said: “There is a growing sense of unity now across the PLP that we have a duty to our country to bring Labour back into contention, with good colleagues suppressing their own personal ambitions now in pursuit of this common goal.”
Former shadow education secretary Lucy Powell, who resigned on Sunday, insisted the mass exodus was not a planned coup against Corbyn but instead a reaction to the “seismic” events that have shaken Westminster in recent days – the EU referendum result and David Cameron’s resignation.
Powell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she hoped Corbyn would “not drag this out any longer than necessary” and step down.Powell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she hoped Corbyn would “not drag this out any longer than necessary” and step down.
In his resignation letter, Kinnock, the high-profile MP for Aberavon, said he had “the deepest respect for your long service to our party and for the consistency with which you have served as an MP and as our leader”. In his resignation letter, Kinnock, the high-profile MP for Aberavon, told Corbyn he had “the deepest respect for your long service to our party and for the consistency with which you have served as an MP and as our leader”.
But he added: “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. He added: “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.
“Furthermore, British politics will be completely dominated in the coming years by the Brexit negotiations, and I do not believe that you have the requisite skills or experience to ensure that there is a strong Labour voice at the negotiating table as we undertake this monumentally complex task.”“Furthermore, British politics will be completely dominated in the coming years by the Brexit negotiations, and I do not believe that you have the requisite skills or experience to ensure that there is a strong Labour voice at the negotiating table as we undertake this monumentally complex task.”