Labour leadership: Angela Eagle to stand against Jeremy Corbyn

Angela Eagle is to challenge Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership of the Labour Party, she has revealed, adding she will “explain my vision for the country” on Monday.

The former Shadow Business Secretary made the bid to oust Mr Corbyn shortly after he had pleaded with the party to “come together” as union-backed peace talks aimed at resolving the stand-off between the party’s left-wing and the majority of its MPs broke down.

His spokesman insisted Mr Corbyn would remain as party leader and would “not betray the hundreds of thousands of people who elected him” to bring about a “different kind of politics”.

A crisis meeting had been expected to take place in Brighton on Sunday in a final effort to break the deadlock, but Deputy Leader Tom Watson announced on Saturday that he was pulling out of the talks because there was “no realistic prospect of a compromise”.

Ms Eagle thanked Mr Watson and the union movement for trying “to find a solution to the impasse Labour faces with a leader who has failed to fulfil his first and foremost duty – that is to lead an organised and effective Parliamentary Labour Party that can both hold the Government to account and demonstrate we are ready to form a government in the event of a general election”.

“On Monday morning, I will announce my candidature for leader of the Labour Party,” she said. “I will explain my vision for the country and the difference a strong Labour Party can make.”

She has the 50 nominations she needs from fellow Labour MPs or MEPs to launch a leadership challenge, and already has a team in place to run her campaign.

The Yorkshire-born Ms Eagle, who is openly gay, was elected to Parliament in 1992 at the age of 31 and is seen as champion of women's rights, diversity and the rights of minorities.

But she is criticised from the left for some of her past policy decisions – she is strongly pro-Trident and voted in favour of the Iraq War and air strikes on Isis in Syria.

Owen Smith, the former Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, is also considering a challenge to Mr Corbyn. However, it was unclear whether he would now go ahead with his bid following Ms Eagle’s announcement.

A crucial issue now, however, is whether Mr Corbyn is automatically entitled to a place on the ballot paper, or whether he, like other leadership contenders, must seek the nomination of at least 50 MPs and MEPs.

Mr Corbyn’s office have obtained a legal opinion which says that he has an automatic right to stand for re-election if challenged, but Labour’s general secretary, Iain McNicol, has also consulted a lawyer and is reported to have been given the opposite advice.

Mr Corbyn’s supporters are also buoyed by the huge increase in Labour Party membership. They believe that the majority of the 113,000 who have signed up since the referendum have joined to support Mr Corbyn. However, Labour MPs voted by 172 to 40 to support a motion of no confidence in his leadership.

The Labour leader has also received the backing of constituency parties – including Ms Eagle’s own Wallasey constituency, which announced on Wednesday that they had passed a “motion of support for Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour party” with an overwhelming majority.

Mr Watson said he had cancelled the talks with union leaders because it was clear Mr Corbyn was not going to resign.

“Since the talks began, Jeremy has publicly declared his intention to continue as leader come what may. This means there is no realistic prospect of reaching a compromise that satisfies the majority of colleagues in the PLP [parliamentary Labour party],” he said.

“It is with regret and profound sadness that I have concluded there is little to be achieved by pursuing wider conversations with our union affiliates at this time.

“The Labour party was founded with the explicit aim of pursuing the parliamentary path to socialism. Every Labour leader needs to command the support of their MPs in the parliamentary Labour party, as well as party members, in order to achieve that. It is clear to all that Jeremy has lost the support of the PLP with little prospect of regaining it.

“I want to thank Len McCluskey for the good faith he has shown during our conversations, which have been conducted in a spirit of openness and comradeship throughout.

“We need a strong and united Labour party in Parliament. I will continue to do everything I can to achieve this. If circumstances change I hope talks can be resumed.”

However a union source told the Press Association that the first they knew about Mr Watson’s decision to pull out of the talks was when they saw his statement. “As far as we are concerned these talks are still on,” the source added.

Mr Corbyn, who urged colleagues to unite in opposition to the Government, told Sky News: “Our union colleagues, who do a great deal to support the party and whose members do a great deal to support the party at ground level, want our party to come together, want our party to come together to oppose what the Tories are doing.

“I urge all my colleagues to listen very carefully to them and indeed come together to oppose what this Government is doing to the most vulnerable within our society.”

A spokesman for the party leader said: “Jeremy Corbyn has reached out to Labour MPs and made clear he wants to work with them to carry out his role as elected leader of the party. Jeremy regards the talks with trade union leaders as a vehicle to bring people together, and it is disappointing that some have walked away from them.

“Jeremy is committed to fulfilling all his responsibilities as democratically elected leader and will not betray the hundreds of thousands of people who elected him for a different direction for the Labour Party and a different kind of politics.

“He continues to be fully committed to working with the Parliamentary Labour Party and is ready to talk with as many people as necessary to assist that process, discussing policy initiatives and listening to ideas.

“He will remain leader of the Labour Party and will contest any leadership challenge if one is mounted.”