John McDonnell rules out bid to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader
The Shadow Chancellor said his friend and colleague is ‘not going anywhere’ despite huge pressure on him to resign
JOHN McDonnell has insisted Jeremy Corbyn is "not going anywhere" in spite of huge pressure on the Labour leader to resign.
The Shadow Chancellor also ruled out ever standing to run the party as he backed his old friend amid a shadow cabinet revolt.
After Hilary Benn was sacked by Mr Corbyn in the early hours of this morning for “losing confidence” in his leadership, the shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander stepped down shortly before 9am.
It was rumoured to be the first in a wave of resignations by Labour frontbenchers as they try and force Mr Corbyn from office, and was followed by Gloria de Piero.
Mr Benn, the now ex-Shadow Foreign Secretary, gave a scathing assessment of his former boss, saying: “He’s a good and decent man but he’s not a leader.”
But Mr McDonnell insisted Corbyn would be staying in charge of the party, even as a vote of no confidence hags over him.
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics programme he was asked if the shadow cabinet turmoil will lead to the veteran leftie being replaced as Labour leader.
"No, not at all, not at all. Jeremy's not going anywhere,” he replied.
"He was elected nine months ago, the biggest mandate of any political leader in our country, and he is not going anywhere.
"The people who are sovereign in our party are the members. It's the members who elected Jeremy and he will remain."
Mr McDonnell, seen as a potential left-wing successor to Mr Corbyn, insisted he would "never stand" for the leadership.
He added: "If Jeremy has to stand for another leadership election, I will chair his campaign and I think the Labour Party members will elect him again."
In a message to shadow cabinet colleagues, he said: "I know how disappointed people are at the loss of the European referendum, but now is the time that we hold together - there is no government in place.
“We have got to provide that leadership."
Asked what would happen if more people left the party’s frontbench, he said they will be replaced.
“There are others willing to serve,” he added.
One name rumoured to be in the frame to fill Mr Benn’s role was longtime Corbyn all Diane Abbott.
But asked whether she had been offered the job of shadow foreign secretary, she told Radio 4: "Goodness me, no. I've only just got up.
“I'm sure it will all be sorted out."