Jeremy Corbyn is perhaps marked the worst Labour leader in the party's history. The turmoil within the 116-year-old party, which governed Britain for 13 years until 2010 under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, is under doldrum with the country's political landscape changing fast. He has lost the confidence of his MPs, sacrificed the support of Labour's traditional working class, including the support of the British Indians, who for generations had backed the party. His Commons performance has been disastrous, media appearance worse and seems to be devoid of inspiration or new ideas.
As we went to Press, he awaited the verdict on his fate- if he has the automatic right to defend himself from a Leadership challenge. If the ruling goes against Corbyn he could struggle to find enough lawmakers to support his bid, given that Labour MPs have already passed a motion of no-confidence in him by a margin of 172 to 40. But Corbyn retains strong support among the party's rank-and-file members.
As Labour looks to define its priorities for the upcoming negotiations, rival MP Angela Eagle has triggered a leadership contest, saying Corbyn has failed to connect with voters and is not capable of winning a national election. But Corbyn has backlashed saying that he will not resign, citing the overwhelming mandate he won from the party's grassroots members when they elected him as the leader in September last year. This has sparked fears that the party could split, like in 1980s, and dilute the centre-left influence over Brexit negotiations.
The party's internal strife has fuelled tensions among its supporters too, and police said on Tuesday Eagle's constituency office in northern England had been vandalised. Corbyn said he and other lawmakers had received death threats.
In a statement he said, "It is extremely concerning that Angela Eagle has been the victim of a threatening act and that other MPs are receiving abuse and threats.”
