Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn loses no-confidence vote

(Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

published 28 June 2016

British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn lost his no-confidence vote Tuesday, with 172 votes against him, 40 in support, and four abstentions. Shortly after the vote, the Labour Party released a statement accepting the motion that it "has no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn as Leader," adding to pressure for Corbyn to step down after last week's Brexit vote. Corbyn's detractors argue that he didn't do enough to support the party's stance on the Brexit and sway Brits against voting to exit the European Union.

While Tuesday's vote is "nonbinding," The Washington Post reports that it's "likely to lead to a new leadership contest that could deepen divisions within a party already riven with fractures between its moderates and hard-left factions." BBC reports that there already "names in the frame" for Corbyn's potential challengers, including Tom Watson and Angela Eagle.

Corbyn, however, has already vowed that he will not resign. "I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 percent of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning," Corbyn said in a statement after the vote Tuesday. "Today's vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy. We are a democratic party, with a clear constitution. Our people need Labour party members, trade unionists, and MPs to unite behind my leadership at a critical time for our country."