Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leader, loses no-confidence vote, refuses to resign

Jeremy Corbyn insists he will not step down as party chief, despite a stunning no-confidence vote in which a mere 40 fellow Labor members of Parliament stood with him, The Financial Times reported Tuesday.

“I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 percent of Labor members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning,” the paper quoted Mr. Corbyn, who heads the official opposition in Parliament.

“Today’s vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy. We are a democratic party, with a clear constitution,” the left-wing leader added. “Our people need Labor party members, trade unionists and MPs to unite behind my leadership at a critical time for our country.”

Tuesday’s no-confidence vote came on the heels of number of shadow Cabinet officers resigning in the wake of the Brexit referendum Thursday. Mr. Corbyn was officially aligned with the Remain campaign, but, as some resignation letters tendered to the Labor chief complained, he was a lackluster cheerleader for remaining in the European Union.

The Financial Times said that “about 50 MPs from senior positions” quit their posts in the last three days, leaving Mr. Corbyn a thin bench to work with as he seeks to rebuild his team.

“On Tuesday he tried to fill the missing posts in his shadow Cabinet, but it was unclear whether he would be able to replace those in more junior front bench positions: instead, it emerged, some MPs may have to fill dual roles,” The Financial Times reported.

Of course, Mr. Corbyn — elected as party leader at the 2015 party conference — will be fighting once again to retain power at the September gathering.

“Dissident MPs have agreed to rally behind a single candidate” noted The Times, and it appears Yvette Cooper, a former shadow home secretary, may fit their bill. 

But the challenger, whoever it will be, must “go out to bat against Mr Corbyn in the teeth of sustained — sometimes vicious — hostility from the thousands of members who elected him in the first place,” the paper said.

By contrast, British Prime Minister David Cameron’s party, while divided on the question of European Union membership, appears to be weathering the aftermath of the Brexit vote with a lot less turmoil, at least publicly.

On Friday Mr. Cameron — who urged voters to remain in the EU — announced his resignation effective in October, subsequent to the annual Conservative Party conference choosing a replacement for party leader.

One man rumored to have eyes on 10 Downing St., Justice Secretary Michael Gove, praised Mr. Cameron, saying he “led this country with courage, dignity and grace” and adding that “he deserves to be remembered as a great prime minister,” according to The Guardian newspaper.