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UK Labour Party Replaces Top Team After Mass Walkout
| Wall Street Journal | - |
LONDON—Opposition
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn stood firm against calls to step down
on Monday, appointing new members to his top team after a wave of
resignations in protest at his leadership.
Labour resignations live: Watch David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn clash in Parliament amid mass mutiny
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U.K. Labour Party Replaces Top Team After Mass Walkout
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn defiant after lawmakers quit over handling of EU referendum campaign
ENLARGE
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in London on Monday.
Photo:
Reuters
At least two dozen senior Labour spokespeople have resigned or been fired in the last 48 hours after Britain’s surprise vote to leave the EU, saying they wanted a new leader amid criticism of what some say was Mr. Corbyn’s lukewarm support for the U.K. to stay in the bloc.
The U.K. referendum has shaken up the U.K.’s political scene. The turmoil in Labour mirrors that of the governing Conservative Party, which is in crisis after Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Friday he would resign by October to make way for a new prime minister to lead the complicated process of extricating the U.K. from the EU.
Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, told Mr. Corbyn in a 25-minute meeting on Monday that he had “lost the authority” over party lawmakers and would probably face a leadership election, a Labour person with knowledge of the matter said. It was up to Mr. Corbyn to decide whether to run if the vote took place, Mr. Watson told him, the person said.
In a statement late on Sunday, Mr. Corbyn said he would not stand down and would run again if there was an election for new leader. Mr. Corbyn was disappointed by the latest resignations but had not changed his mind about his position, a spokesman said on Monday.
Labour lawmakers are due to meet on Monday to discuss a motion of no confidence in Mr. Corbyn put forward by two Labour lawmakers following the vote.
Mr. Corbyn’s spokesman said the motion of no confidence wouldn't be binding. To trigger a leadership contest a challenger must come forward with the backing of at least one fifth of the party’s lawmakers in Parliament and in the European Parliament, which currently equates to about 50 lawmakers.
The Labour Party appeared unable to convince a sufficient number of its supporters to vote to stay in the bloc. Mr. Corbyn, who has been critical of the EU in the past, faced criticism for not doing more.
The mass walkout of senior Labour figures began after foreign affairs spokesman Hilary Benn was dismissed by Mr. Corbyn overnight Saturday after he told the party leader he had lost confidence in him.
In a resignation letter to Mr. Corbyn posted on her Twitter account, Angela Eagle, the party’s spokeswoman for business, innovation and skills, said too many Labour supporters had voted to leave the EU because under his leadership “the case to remain in the EU was made with half-heated ambivalence rather than full-throated clarity.”
The British Broadcasting Corp reported that a handful of junior party spokespeople had also quit on Monday. The Labour Party press office declined to comment on the resignations, saying it wouldn't provide a running commentary.
Mr. Corbyn became leader of the party in September, winning almost 60% of 400,000 votes cast following pledges to fight government austerity policies and scrap Britain’s nuclear weapons. But despite his popularity among the grass-roots, Mr. Corbyn has been dogged by criticism from some Labour lawmakers that he has turned off moderate voters seen as vital to winning British elections.
Earlier on Monday, Mr. Corbyn shored up his hemorrhaging shadow cabinet by announcing new appointments to his top team. Among them were Clive Lewis—who was only elected to parliament last year. Mr. Lewis’ appointment to the defense portfolio is significant as Labour is undergoing a major review of its in favor of maintaining the U.K.’s nuclear deterrent.
Mr. Lewis office declined to comment on his views on nuclear weapons. In 2013 he wrote an article in the New Statesman magazine saying Labour should make the case against renewing the country’s Trident nuclear weapons system.
Write to Nicholas Winning at nick.winning@wsj.com