UK opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn’s position as the head of the Labour Party is under pressure: He has just lost a no-confidence vote by Labour MPs, by an overwhelming 176-40 margin.
Corbyn, who became Labour leader in September, has long been a polarizing figure—and that was before accusations that he gave only tepid support to the “Remain” campaign. More than 40 MPs have either resigned or been sacked from Labour’s shadow cabinet in the wake of the Brexit vote.
In normal times, losing a no-confidence vote would quickly be followed by a party leader’s resignation. But if you’ve been reading the news, you know these are are anything but normal times. The vote is non-binding, and Corbyn vowed to stay on as leader.
“I was democratically elected leader of our party by 60% of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning,” he said in a statement. “Today’s vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy.”
That means his many detractors would have to launch a formal leadership challenge, or convince the rank-and-file party members to vote him out at Labour’s conference in the autumn.