UK's Labour party shadow cabinet members plan bid to oust Corbyn

British Labour party’s shadow cabinet members have unveiled plans to make party leader Jeremy Corbyn step down despite a new poll indicating that he would easily defeat any potential challenger.

The development was reported Saturday by the British media, pointing to efforts by Labour MPs to prepare plans under which Corbyn would voluntarily quit the leadership post in exchange for assurance by the new party leader to stick with some of Corbyn’s core policies.

Local press reports further indicated an unsuccessful attempt by dissenting lawmakers to meet Corbyn to push the plan as a poll conducted by Times newspaper reflected modest party support for candidates seeking to challenge his leadership.

According to local press reports, Labour MPs remain divided over whether Angela Eagle, the recently resigned shadow business secretary, should officially initiate a leadership challenge on Monday or if another candidate, such as the late shadow pensions secretary Owen Smith, would be a better choice.

While Eagle’s allies insist she is a unity candidate that can pull the party together, supporters of Smith, who also quit his post last Monday, have also been collecting nominations, and believe he would have a better chance than Eagle since his politics are more leftist and because he did not vote on the military invasion of Iraq in 2003, having not been an MP at the time.

However, the Times poll of Labour members further suggested that while Eagle would have a better chance against Corbyn than other potential candidates, the standing leader would still triumph in a one-to-one race.

This is while Corbyn lost a confidence vote among Labour lawmakers earlier in the week by a substantial margin and has seen dozens of frontbench resignations, with some positions still left unoccupied.

The no confidence vote came just nine months after Labour MPs overwhelmingly elected Corbyn as leader. It remains to be seen whether the membership has changed its mind, particularly with the arrival of 60,000 new members since last week’s Brexit referendum.

Under Labour Party rules, a leadership election would be initiated if a challenger wins support of 20 percent of the party’s MPs and MEPs, which means 51 names are required.

The party’s members, along with affiliated supporters in trade unions and registered supporters, would then decide the matter with a vote.

Meanwhile, shadow chancellor and Corbyn’s chief ally, John McDonnell, stated on Friday that he expected Labour lawmakers to make their move “over the next few days,” insisting that Corbyn would definitely stand for the leadership post again .

“I’m saying to all Labour MPs now, whatever your views now, calm down,” said McDonnell. “If there is to be a Labour leadership election, let’s do that in a comradely, amicable fashion, argue the points of difference on policy and then come together and unite behind the democratic decision of our members.”

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