Corbyn challenged for Labour leadership

Ms Eagle had been expected to announce she was challenging Mr Corbyn after deputy party leader Tom Watson failed to persuade him to stand down following an overwhelming vote of no confidence by Labour MPs.

Jeremy Corbyn was defiant last night despite a vote of no confidence from Labour Party MPs, saying that he would not “betray” the party members who elected him a year ago.

He told the BBC Radio 4 that Britain is in the grip of the worst national crisis since World War II, adding: “I think at that moment we need to think about the country”.

Former shadow cabinet minister Angela Eagle is considered a likely contender for Corbyn’s position, as support for the Labor leader continues to decline.

In a damning indictment of Mr Corbyn’s inner circle, she accused him and his team of not caring about winning a general election and aiming instead to trigger the break-up of Labour.

He was briefly heckled, with one man yelling: “What about Europe?”

“We urge all Labour MPs to abide by those procedures, and to respect the authority of the Party’s Leader”.

Former party leader Ed Miliband also called on Corbyn to quit, saying his position is “untenable”. Berger, the shadow minister on mental health, said she was resigning “with deep sadness” because “loyalty to the party must come first” and because “we need a Labour leader who can unite our party”.

She also took aim at Seamus Milne, a Guardian journalist and Mr Corbyn’s influential communications chief.

He told Sky News: “He’s campaigning, he’s been doing his work here”.

“One of her senior backers said she still hopes Jeremy will stand down”.

“I just think he feels very strongly that he has that mandate from the members; he holds less weight on parliamentary politics and that’s where he is”, he said.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Cameron waded into Labour’s misery, criticising Corbyn’s role in the European Union referendum campaign. I would say: “for heaven’s sake man, go!”.

“I deeply respect Jeremy as a person and indeed as a politician for the causes he has fought for”.

Although he is now refusing to resign, the party is expected to force the issue over the next few days after he lost a vote of no confidence by 172 to 40.

“Either the Labour Party will become an anti-globalisation protest party or it’s going to be the party that’s able to tell people how we can best manage and change and transform globalisation and the global economy in the interests of working people”.