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| General Election 2019: Voters should back Johnson - ex Labour MP | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Labour voters should support Boris Johnson in the general election, former Labour MP Ian Austin has said. | |
| The former minister, who resigned from the party in February, said Jeremy Corbyn was "completely unfit to lead our country". | |
| Speaking to the BBC, Mr Austin said: "I can't believe it has come to this." | Speaking to the BBC, Mr Austin said: "I can't believe it has come to this." |
| Asked about his comments, Labour's Rebecca Long Bailey said telling people to vote Conservative was "absurd". | Asked about his comments, Labour's Rebecca Long Bailey said telling people to vote Conservative was "absurd". |
| She said Mr Austin had done "great work" as an MP but added that it was "no secret" that he had differences with the Labour leader. | She said Mr Austin had done "great work" as an MP but added that it was "no secret" that he had differences with the Labour leader. |
| Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak called Mr Austin's comments a "truly devastating indictment of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership". | Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak called Mr Austin's comments a "truly devastating indictment of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership". |
| Speaking to the Express and Star, Mr Austin said "I must do everything I can to stop Jeremy Corbyn from getting into power." | |
| The BBC's political correspondent Chris Mason says the interview was "astonishing". | |
| "We should be clear he has had a long standing run-in with Mr Corbyn," he says. | |
| "We know that he doesn't like the Labour leader but still, on day two of a general campaign, for someone who has been Labour MP for much of his time in Westminster to say 'vote Conservative' is incredible." | |
| Mr Austin became a Labour councillor in Dudley in his twenties, later working as a press officer for Gordon Brown. | |
| He was elected MP for Dudley North in 2005 and served in Mr Brown's government from 2008-2010. | |
| Mr Austin quit the party earlier this year blaming Mr Corbyn for "creating a culture of extremism and intolerance". | Mr Austin quit the party earlier this year blaming Mr Corbyn for "creating a culture of extremism and intolerance". |
| His comments comes as Tom Watson announced he was stepping down from his role as deputy party leader and as an MP. | |
| He said the decision was "personal, not political" and that he would continue to campaign for the party. |