Corbyn to face test after Reed departs
JEREMY Corbyn will face an electoral test early next year after one of his most persistent backbench critics announced he is to stand down from Westminster and cause a by-election.
Jamie Reed said he would be quitting as Labour MP for Copeland in west Cumbria at theendofJanuarytotakeup a job in the nuclear power industry: he is to become the head of development and community relations at the Sellafield plant in his constituency.
The MP was elected in 2005 since when he has seen his majority reduced by the Conservatives to just 2,564.
Labour, which has recently had two poor by-elections performances – in Sleaford it came fourth with just 10 per cent of the vote while in Richmond Park its candidate lost his deposit – will not only face a challenge from the Tories but also from Ukip.
Under its new leader Paul Nuttall, Ukip will see Copeland as the sort of northern England seat it would want to win given the Leave vote there was over 60 per cent.
In 2015, Mr Reed held Copeland with 16,750 vote.
In a letter to the Labour leader announcing his decision, Mr Reed said leaving Parliament was “the hardest decision of my life”.
He told Mr Corbyn: “We desperately need a Labour government so communities like mine can build the future they deserve. I wish you every success in your endeavours to become our next Labour prime minister.”
Mr Reed said his decision had “absolutely nothing to do with Jeremy Corbyn”.