Gone in 60 seconds: how they stalked out

THE first resignation from the Labour front bench came before Jeremy Corbyn had even finished his victory speech.

Shadow Health Minister Jamie Reed announced that he was stepping down at 11.43am – only a minute after Corbyn’s victory was formally announced. He was rapidly followed by six other members of the Shadow Cabinet, in a mass defection which bore all the hallmarks of an orchestrated manoeuvre by Corbyn’s opponents.

At 12.26pm, defeated leadership candidate Yvette Cooper said she would quit as Shadow Home Secretary and leave the front bench.

And at 12.44, Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt congratulated Corbyn, but said he would refuse to play any part in the new leadership team. He added: ‘It is important to be honest about it – I have substantial political differences with Jeremy.’

At 12.46pm, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Rachel Reeves – a supporter of Andy Burnham – followed suit, saying: ‘I will serve my party from the backbenches.’

Then at 12.56pm the Shadow Communities Secretary Emma Reynolds used almost identical wording in a post on Twitter, saying: ‘I will serve our party and my constituents from the backbenches.’ The departing frontbenchers were joined by Liz Kendall, who came last in the contest, and Shadow Chancellor Chris Leslie, both of whom had already made clear that they would not serve under Corbyn. It was unclear last night if Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna would be returning to the backbenches.

Mr Reed – who like Ms Reynolds had backed Blairite Kendall in the contest – stressed in his resignation letter that the party owes far more to Methodism than Marxism, and ‘always will’.

He said he was stepping down as efforts to improve the NHS would become ‘more difficult the longer we remain in opposition’. He also called Corbyn’s anti-nuclear stance ‘poorly informed – and fundamentally wrong’.