Jeremy Corbyn and Momentum should form a new party — David Blunkett

His comments came before Mr Corbyn lost a no confidence vote of MPs, 172-40 vote, which is not binding.

Mr Corbyn could face a vote of no confidence from the Parliamentary party later this evening.

Corbyn supporters are upset at the moves to oust the Labour leader.

At time of publication, more than 50 MPs have resigned from the front bench – including 20 of Mr Corbyn’s 31 shadow cabinet members, and numerous party’s most prominent figures.

Sky’s Faisal Islam said that there was a rush at the end of the voting period with several of Mr Corbyn’s supporters registering their vote in the House of Commons in a bid to send a message that he will run in a leadership election if challenged.

But Darren Williams, secretary of the left-leaning Welsh Labour Grassroots movement, said: “These comments from Chris Evans are applicable to the MPs who have been plotting against Jeremy Corbyn”.

She said: “I couldn’t believe the strength of feeling, the overwhelming rejection of Jeremy as our leader, and the pleading with him that he should consider his position and go with dignity”.

“It is nearly unbelievable to watch the Labour party plunge into crisis of its own making as its MPs involve themselves in childish, self-indulgent behavior which doesn’t befit their office”, he said.

Angela Eagle, who stepped down as shadow business secretary in an attempted coup that has destabilised the party’s parliamentary operation, is reportedly a likely contender, while deputy leader Tom Watson and Yvette Cooper are also being talked of as possible alternatives.

Amid the flurry of resignations, Corbyn announced a number of appointments to replace those who quit on Sunday, promoting several members of his inner core of left-wing supporters to senior defence and foreign policy roles.

“And the grotesque exploitation of workers on zero hours contracts in factories around Britain shows we don’t need the blame culture, we need the unite culture of working together for the social justice to which we all aspire”.

“If I had lost the support of 80 per cent of my MSPs I could not do my job”.

However, Corbyn could ignore today’s result as the votes have do not get a mention in the Labour rulebook, unlike Conservative party rules under which Duncan Smith was obliged.

The paper said filling dozens of vacancies with “inexperienced lightweights” was like “using a toothpick to prop up a collapsing skyscraper” and suggested Mr Corbyn’s attempts at “clinging to power increasingly looks like an act of vanity”.