Labour MPs pass no-confidence motion in Corbyn
UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has lost a motion of no-confidence in his leadership over Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU).
In a dramatic development on Tuesday, a total of 172 Labour MPs voted against Corbyn and only 40 in favor out of 229 Labour lawmakers in the House of Commons lower house.
The vote came following mass resignations from the shadow cabinet and calls on Corbyn to quit.
Corbyn has been accused of not doing enough in favor of the Remain campaign to stop the British exit from the EU, a bloc that the United Kingdom joined more than 40 years ago.
But the veteran Labour leader insisted he would not stand down over the Brexit, saying he will not “betray the trust” of his voters and that he would have to be defeated in a democratic election.
"I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 percent of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning. Today's vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy," he said in a statement.
In the June 23 referendum, about 52 percent of British voters opted to leave the EU, while roughly 48 percent of the people voted to stay in the union.
Five days after the shock referendum vote, both the ruling and opposition parties are in disarray.
Conservative Party Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that he will quit as Britain's prime minister in the aftermath of the Brexit vote.
On Tuesday, Cameron’s finance minister, George Osborne, who was expected to succeed him, ruled himself out for the post of prime minister.
Meanwhile, British media reported that Work and Pensions Minister Stephen Crabb, an almost unknown figure, would be a candidate for the prime minister.
However, former London mayor, and an outspoken leader of the Leave campaign, Boris Johnson is tipped as one of the favorites.
Interior Minister Theresa May is also reportedly set to put her name forward in order to "Stop Boris" from becoming the UK prime minister.
The Conservative Party has set a Thursday deadline for nominations and the winner would be announced on September 9.
Cameron said he would leave it to the next prime minister to invoke Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to negotiate a withdrawal from the European Union.
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