Cameron urges Corbyn to resign

British Prime Minister David Cameron called on beleagured opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn to resign for the sake of the country, telling him: “For heaven’s sake man, go.”

The prime minister’s seemingly unscripted intervention came during prime minister’s questions in parliament as the Labour leader, who lost a confidence vote among his own MPs on Tuesday, pressed Cameron about child poverty.

Cameron began by dismissing Corbyn’s apparent argument that austerity or poverty could have played a role in contributing to the loss by the remain side in the EU referendum.

“We all have to reflect on our role in the referendum campaign,” Cameron told the opposition leader, taking aim at Corbyn for his perceived lacklustre support for staying in the EU.

“I know the honourable gentleman says he put his back into it. All I’d say, I’d hate to see him when he’s not trying.”

But when he was pressed again on child poverty, Cameron became visibly angry.

He told Corbyn: “If he’s looking for excuses about why the side he and I were on [lost] the referendum, frankly he should look somewhere else. And I have to say to the honourable gentleman, he talks about job insecurity with my two months to go. It might be in my party’s interest for him to sit there. It’s not in the national interest. I would say – for heaven’s sake, man, go.”

Tory MPs cheered riotously, to continued silence from the Labour benches, who had barely acknowledged any of their leader’s prior answers.

On Tuesday, more than three-quarters of Labour MPs, 172 in all, voted to say they had no confidence in Corbyn’s leadership, while 40 voted for him.

While a leadership challenge seems imminent, Corbyn responded by issuing a warning that he had the support of Labour members, and that he was going nowhere.

After PMQs, a spokesman for Corbyn said “we would call on Labour MPs that they were elected to come here and represent the Labour Party. If they don’t want to do that they should call a leadership election.”

Earlier during prime minister’s questions, Corbyn pressed Cameron about the repercussions of the Brexit vote, with the prime minister acknowledging that there would be a tricky road ahead.

“All of the warnings were that if we voted to leave the EU there would be difficulties in terms of our own economy and growth rate and instability in markets,” Cameron said. “We’re seeing those things.”

Cameron said the UK economy was in good shape to withstand the shocks, before adding: “But there’s no doubt in my mind these are going to be difficult economic times.”

The prime minister also announced a new action plan on hate crimes amid a reported spate of racist incidents and attacks in the wake of the referendum. The scheme would give new emphasis to reporting hate crimes and supporting victims, and new prosecution guidance for such offences, as well as funds for protective security measures at potentially vulnerable institutions.

“Whatever we can do we will do the drive these appalling hate crimes out of our country,” he said.