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News > World

Coup Against Labour's Corbyn in Full Swing, 44 Ministers Resign

  • Shadow Health Secretary Heidi Alexander stands beside Jeremy Corbyn (center) during a referendum campaign photocall earlier this month.

    Shadow Health Secretary Heidi Alexander stands beside Jeremy Corbyn (center) during a referendum campaign photocall earlier this month. | Photo: AFP

Published 27 June 2016
Opinion

The latest developments come as Jeremy Corbyn prepares to face a vote of no confidence by Labour MPs but remains firm he will not resign.

At least 19 members of the Labour shadow cabinet and a total of 44 shadow ministers have resigned amid a major Blairite coup against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose office says the socialist leader will not resign and argues the major exodus will strengthen the cabinet.

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The recent developments come as Corbyn is bracing for a vote of no confidence in a secret ballot of MPs Tuesday. A source close to Corbyn told The Guardian that the number of resignations was destabilizing but ultimately irrelevant unless someone triggered a leadership election.

“In many ways, the shadow cabinet is now stronger. There is no shortage of good people who want to do these jobs. The only way to try to replace Jeremy is to stand against him in a democratic contest,” he said, adding that was now “likely to happen”.

Almost 60 former Labour parliamentary candidates to the right of the party have called for their socialist leader to resign, arguing they need someone who looks like a “credible prime minister."

The recent resignations came from previously loyal members of his team including the shadow business secretary, Angela Eagle, the shadow work and pensions secretary, Owen Smith, and the shadow energy secretary, Lisa Nandy.

On Sunday Heidi Alexander, the shadow health secretary, stepped down Sunday morning in response to Corbyn’s sacking of Hilary Benn, who was his shadow foreign secretary.

Labour sources told the newspaper that Alexander’s decision to resign would be the main motive behind the exodus by at least half of the shadow cabinet because unlike Benn she was a more “loyal and pragmatic” member of the Corbyn team.

“She is seen as a moderate, practical and pragmatic voice,” they said. “Hilary always had a problem with Jeremy. Now that Heidi’s gone, most of the shadow cabinet will step down. He can’t just replace those positions because other front bench ministers won’t step up to the roles.”

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But despite the schism at the top of the party, Corbyn enjoys significant support from Labour's base and more than 200,000 people have signed a vote of confidence in Corbyn's U.K. Labour Party leadership in response to the motion of no confidence by two members of the party.

Crucially, 12 union leaders have also issued a joint statement in support of Corbyn against the attempts to oust him. “The last thing Labour needs is a manufactured leadership row of its own in the midst of this crisis and we call upon all Labour MPs not to engage in any such indulgence,” the statement read.

Amid the division within the party and calls on him to step down, Corbyn stressed he had no intention of resigning. “Jeremy Corbyn is the democratically elected leader of the Labour party and will remain so,” a Corbyn office spokesman said in a statement Sunday.

Media reports revealed that Corbyn sacked Benn in the early hours of Sunday morning because the shadow foreign secretary was preparing to lead a coup against him.

“Hilary Benn was sacked because Jeremy’s lost confidence in him. Corbyn rang Benn at 12:50 a.m. and following that conversation he sacked him,” the spokesman said. Corbyn, despite being critical of the European Union and its leadership, did in fact support a “remain” vote in the Brexit referendum.

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