HE'S LOST IT
Jeremy Corbyn REFUSES to quit for months and claims Labour had ‘huge public support’ despite worst result since 1935
DELUDED Jeremy Corbyn is refusing to resign as leader of the Labour party, claiming they had "huge public support" despite the party scoring its worst election result since 1935.
The hard-left leader instead said he would cling onto power until a contest would be held in the "early part of next year" after the landslide Conservative win today.
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The sore loser refused to accept any blame for the disastrous results - and instead tried to pin the devastating loss on Britain's EU debate.
Breaking his silence on his night of horror, Corbyn insisted his policies were "popular" and he would not "walk away" until his successor was in place "in the early part of next year."
Latest news:
- Boris Johnson took home a thumping victory, winning an extra 47 seats for the Tories while Labour lost 59 seats - including several key strongholds - to give the Conservatives an 80-seat majority.
- Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has refused to step down after his staggering loss, saying he would remain in power until the "early part of next year"
- Sir Keir Starmer is the favourite to take over as Labour boss - but Jess Phillips threw her hat in the ring and Emily Thornberry also hinted at a run
- The pound surged by more than two per cent on the news of a Tory majority
- Brexit is to come 'soon' after Boris's election win after EU says it's 'ready for next phase'
- Mr Johnson has declared the NHS will be an "overwhelming priority"
- A Queen's Speech is expected to be scheduled for next Thursday with the State Opening of Parliament
He said: "I have pride in our manifesto that we put forward, and all the policies we put forward, which actually had huge public support.
"Of course I take responsibility for putting the manifesto forward, but I have to say, the manifesto was universally supported, throughout our party and throughout our movement."
Asked if Corbnynism was dead, he replied: "There's no such thing as Corbynism. There is socialism, there is social justice, there are radical manifestos, all of which are there."
Corbyn went on to tell reporters he'd done "everything he could" to develop its policies as he took aim at "disgusting" media abuse.
Pinning the blame far away from his disastrous leadership, he added: "This election was ultimately taken over by Brexit and we as a party represent people who voted both Remain and Leave.
"My whole strategy was to reach out beyond the Brexit divide to try and bring people together, because ultimately the country has to come together."
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Earlier, Corbyn thanked his sons before thanking his wife "for all that she puts up with because of the way in which the media behaved towards me, towards her and indeed towards my party during this election campaign".
But clinging on to his Islington seat, Corbyn said it had been a "very disappointing" night as support for his party crumbled in Labour's former heartlands.
The MP ran as an outside candidate for the party leadership in 2015 and managed to outlast two Tory prime ministers.
But finally conceding defeat as the red wall was left in tatters, he said he will call it a day on his time as leader - although he refused to immediately step down.
He said: "I will not lead the party in any future general election campaign.
"I will discuss with my party to ensure there is a process of reflection on this result and I will lead the party during that period to ensure the discussion takes place and we will move on into the future."
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Corbyn's bizarre blaming of his failures on the media comes despite his acolytes and Momentum trolls polluting social media in the election campaign.
He has also amassed a string of celebs to endorse Labour on Twitter and Instagram as he hoped to get the younger electorate on his side.
Some of Corbyn's closest cronies are still sticking by the Leftie boss as they tried to pin Labour's embarrassing showing on Brexit.
But other hard-hitting Labour MPs immediately began turning their backs on Corbyn as the exit poll revealed the party was in for a crushing defeat.
They blamed Corbyn's poor handling of the anti-Semitism row and his links to terror groups for the dismal results.
Former Labour Home Secretary Alan Johnson led the condemnation of Corbyn's failed leadership - saying he could not lead the working class “out of a paper bag”.
He fumed: "The Corbynistas will make an argument that victory is a bourgeois concept, and the only goal for true socialists is bloody defeat.
"And we have had another one. We knew he was incapable of leading. He's worst than useless.
'DISASTER'
Mr Johnson, the Home Secretary under Gordon Brown, added: “The working class have always been a big disappointment to Jon (Lansman) and his cult.
"Jeremy Corbyn was a disaster for Labour – everyone knew that he couldn't lead the working class out of a paper bag."
Former Labour minister Chris Leslie raged: "He should never have been elected in the first place.
"As some of us were warning from the outset, the hard left self-indulgence was always doomed to fail."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "We knew in our hearts that Jeremy Corbyn's leadership was deeply unpopular with the British people and that we were extremely unlikely to form a Labour government last night.
"Labour's shocking and repeated failure to tackle anti-Semitism, and our ability to put forward a credible and believable set of priorities for governing have made a major contribution to the scale of this defeat."
He added: "Jeremy Corbyn has said he will stand down, and this simply must now happen quickly."
The broadside came after Corbyn's right-hand man John McDonnell all-but accepted it was the end of the road for them after four disastrous year in charge.
On the future of Mr Corbyn’s leadership, Mr McDonnell told the BBC: “Let’s see the results themselves, as I say, the appropriate decisions will be made and we’ll always make the decisions in the best interests of our party.”
Fed-up MPs also tore into their leadership - pointing the finger squarely at Mr Corbyn and his cabal of hard-left cultists.
Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls slammed the attempt to blame Brexit as he said that was "not going to wash at all".
ODDS ON NEXT LABOUR LEADER
- Keir Starmer 9/4
- Rebecca Long-Bailey 7/2
- Yvette Cooper 9/1
- Laura Pidcock 10/1
- Angela Rayner 10/1
- Emily Thornberry 10/1
- Tony Blair 200/1
A leaked copy of the party’s briefing to shadow cabinet ministers and MPs advised them to say the defeat was “overwhelmingly down to one issue”.
And it also told them to claim the media was biased and failed to give the party a fair hearing.
Mr Corbyn and Mr McDonnell are thought to want his protege Rebecca Long-Bailey, the Shadow Business Secretary, to take over.
She was chosen to represent Labour in a number of the TV election debates.
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Fellow left-winger Laura Pidcock is also a contender.
But moderates are said to be coalescing around Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner as they see her as a palatable candidate who is seen as the best of a bad bunch on the left.
Their preferred candidates would be Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer or Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry, but neither are expected to win over Labour’s hard-left membership and both are ardent Remainers.
Gareth Snell says the exit poll is a 'catastrophe' for the Labour Party as he admits he thinks he has lost his seat
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