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Posted: 2016-06-29 05:17:06

London: Britain's political turmoil deepened Tuesday, with members of the opposition Labour Party rebelling against their leader in a no-confidence vote, while the governing Conservatives started to joust over the selection of a new prime minister to replace David Cameron.

The turbulence - spawned by the country's stunning vote to exit the European Union last Thursday - has already claimed Mr Cameron's political career. The prime minister is stepping aside just a year after he won a sweeping general election victory.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, could be the next to go following Tuesday's mutinous vote among Labour's members in parliament. In a secret ballot, 172 members said they had no confidence in their leader. Just 40 backed him.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has come under enormous pressure following the Brexit vote.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has come under enormous pressure following the Brexit vote. Photo: Bloomberg

Tuesday's vote is non-binding, but it is likely to lead to a new leadership contest that could deepen divisions within a party already riven with fractures between its moderate and hard-left factions.

Mr Corbyn has suggested he will run again - and he could well win, given his popularity with the rank and file.

"I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 per cent of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning. Today's vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy," he said in a statement.

A supporter of Mr Corbyn at a rally in London on Monday.

A supporter of Mr Corbyn at a rally in London on Monday. Photo: Bloomberg

But Tuesday's vote shows that his own colleagues in Parliament want him gone. Mr Corbyn's detractors in Labour blame him for a lacklustre campaign to keep Britain in the EU. Although Labour officially supported the "remain" camp, Mr Corbyn was a fleeting presence on the campaign trail, and polls showed that many Labour members were not aware of their party's official position.

Mr Corbyn's predicament comes only nine months after he emerged from the far-left fringe to take ownership of a party that last governed under the more centrist Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Mr Corbyn, who was never popular with the party's lawmakers despite enjoying widespread grassroots support, has faced dozens of defections among his top lieutenants since the referendum results.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday he would step down.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday he would step down. Photo: Bloomberg

The north London politician, has been defiant, pledging not to step down despite the loss of support.

In a show of strength late Monday, up to 1,000 Corbyn backers rallied in the central square opposite the soaring towers of Westminster, Parliament's home.

"Don't let the media divide us. Don't let those people who wish us ill divide us," Mr Corbyn told his cheering backers. "Stay together, strong and united, for the kind of world we want to live in."

Boris Johnson, former mayor of London, is among the frontrunners to become prime minister.

Boris Johnson, former mayor of London, is among the frontrunners to become prime minister. Photo: Bloomberg

But Mr Corbyn's critics say he was an ambivalent campaigner - at best - for Britain's continued place in the EU. Mr Corbyn had long been a fierce critic of the EU, believing it had become a tool of corporations and other vested interests.

A former member of Mr Corbyn's shadow cabinet, Chris Bryant, told the BBC on Monday that he believed the Labour leader may have actually voted to leave in the privacy of the voting booth. Mr Corbyn's backers have disputed that.

Critics also worry that Mr Corbyn could lead the party to an electoral wipeout if the Conservatives call a new election before year's end.

In a speech Monday, senior Labour politician Yvette Cooper - who lost to Mr Corbyn in last year's leadership contest - said she hoped he would step aside.

"I am very concerned that Jeremy Corbyn has no plan to reunite the Labour movement, no plan to respond to the deep and serious issues the referendum has thrown up, and no plan for a looming general election," she said.

Although no new vote is planned until 2020, the unexpected referendum result has turned British politics upside down, and some are now advocating for a fresh vote once the Tories have chosen their new prime minister.

The Conservatives have said they want a new leader in place by September 9, leaving them just over two months to pick Mr Cameron's replacement. Would-be contenders have until mid-day on Thursday to formally enter the fray.

The new prime minister will not be chosen by the public. Instead, he or she will be picked through a two-stage process, with Tory members of Parliament first whittling the field of candidates down to two and then the party's rank and file choosing a winner.

Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London who led the leave campaign, is considered the favourite for the job. But he has not declared his intentions, and there are already indications he could face a more serious challenge than was previously thought.

A poll released by The Times newspaper late Monday suggested that Mr Johnson could actually lose among the Tory rank and file in a match-up with Theresa May, who handles the country's domestic security as the minister of home affairs.

May has not declared her intentions, either. She endorsed "remain" during the referendum campaign, saying that she believed Britain was safer within the European Union. But she was nearly invisible on the campaign trail, and she has long held Euroskeptic views. Some within the party have suggested she could be a compromise candidate who would bridge the warring factions.

The man who was expected to be Mr Cameron's chosen successor, chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne, ruled himself out of the leadership contest Tuesday. He told the BBC that he could not unite the party and that he continues to believe Brexit would make the country "poorer."

A number of candidates are expected to join the fray as soon as Wednesday. Among them are Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary who favoured "in," as well as Liam Fox, a former defense secretary who enthusiastically campaigned for "out."

Stephen Crabb, the work and pensions secretary, was also expected to enter the contest. The 43-year-old Mr Crabb is considered a rising star in the party, though his advocacy for "remain" will likely hurt him among pro-Brexit members.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, an ardent pro-Brexit Tory who is backing Mr Johnson, told the BBC on Tuesday that only a "leave" candidate will be able to convince the country that he or she is fighting for the maximum concessions in negotiations with the EU. Otherwise, he said, the public will assume that "things are being stitched up."

"It needs to be someone who's principally committed to leaving the EU.," Rees-Mogg said. "And that's why Boris is such a good candidate."

The Washington Post

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