Labour meltdown as Corbyn snarls: I will be leader in 2020
LABOUR was in meltdown last night as its former deputy leader Harriet Harman said it has returned to the “painful” days of the 1980s and a snarling Jeremy Corbyn insisted in an interview that he would be staying on as leader.
In an interview for The Westminster Hour on BBC Radio 4, Mrs Harman said Labour needed a leader who could become prime minister.
She said: “The problem is if you face inwards, either congratulating yourself on how many members you’ve got or thinking that you’ve got a huge mandate after your election.
“The real job of a Leader of the Opposition is to get a mandate from the people in a general election, to be Labour prime minister.”
Mr Corbyn dramatically flew off the handle yesterday as he was grilled over whether he will still be Labour leader in 2020.
The veteran left-winger lost his temper as he was repeatedly challenged to confirm he would fight the next general election in the wake of the party’s humiliating defeat to the Tories in Copeland, Cumbria, last week. It was a seat held by Labour for more than 80 years and was the first time a governing party had defeated the main opposition party since 1982.
After twice trying to dodge questions during an interview with Sky News, Mr Corbyn snapped: “I’ve given you a very clear answer, yes.” He then stalked off. The clash came after he gave a stumbling, error-strewn speech to the Scottish Labour party.
Mr Corbyn admitted he was “disappointed” about the Copeland by-election defeat but he insisted: “Now is not the time to run away.”
Former Copeland MP, Jamie Reed, who was a leading Labour moderate, quit over Mr Corbyn’s leadership.
Labour narrowly held on to another safe seat, Stoke Central, because the Brexit majority was split evenly between Ukip and the Tories. Mr Corbyn’s speech in Perth came as it emerged the Tories plan to “kill off” Labour by targeting its 70 most vulnerable MPs.