Labour leader refuses to step down as shadow ministers resign

UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn says he will not resign despite turmoil in the party following a revolt in his top team after British citizens voted in a historic referendum to leave the European Union (EU).

Britain’s opposition party plunged into crisis on Sunday night following the resignation of a group of shadow ministers following the Brexit vote.

Twelve members of the Labour shadow cabinet left office amid demands that Corbyn should step down in favor of a pro-EU candidate who can cope with the situation arising following the referendum.  

Corbyn said in a statement on Sunday night he will not “betray the trust” of his voters, adding he would have to be defeated in a democratic election.

“Our country faces a huge challenge following Thursday’s vote to leave the European Union. And the British people have a right to know how their elected leaders are going to respond,” he said.

“We need to come together to heal the divisions exposed by the vote. We have to respect the decision that has been made, hold the government to democratic account over its response, and ensure that working people don’t pay the price of exit,” he added.  

Corbyn said  he was “elected by hundreds of thousands of Labour Party members and supporters with an overwhelming mandate for a different kind of politics.”

“I regret there have been resignations today from my shadow cabinet. But I am not going to betray the trust of those who voted for me – or the millions of supporters across the country who need Labour to represent them,” he stated.

“Those who want to change Labour’s leadership will have to stand in a democratic election, in which I will be a candidate,” he emphasized.

Corbyn has been accused of not doing enough in favor of the Remain campaign.

Labour MPs Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey on Friday tabled a motion of no confidence in Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party.

The MPs made the demand in a letter sent to the chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP).

Membership of the EU has been a controversial issue in the UK since the country joined the then European Economic Community in 1973.

Those in favor of a British withdrawal from the EU argued that outside the bloc, London would be better positioned to conduct its own trade negotiations, better able to control immigration and free from what they believe to be excessive EU regulations and bureaucracy.

Those in favor of remaining in the bloc argued that leaving it would risk the UK's prosperity, diminish its influence over world affairs, and result in trade barriers between the UK and the EU.

After the Brexit vote, the British pound crashed to its lowest levels in 31 years, dropping below $1.35 for the first time since 1985.

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