Jeremy Corbyn has been urged to reconsider his position as Labour leader as his party was plunged into bitter recrimination after voters backed Brexit.
Labour MP Angela Smith insisted Mr Corbyn must accept his share of the responsibility at the forefront of the Labour ‘In’ campaign, with traditional voters for the party turning their backs on appeals to vote Remain.
Former Labour minister and EU commissioner Lord Mandelson also said the referendum campaign showed Mr Corbyn “can’t cut it” as leader.
But Mr Corbyn, a long-time Eurosceptic, defended his conduct amid criticisms that he offered no more than lukewarm support for Remain, blaming Government austerity cuts for alienating voters.
His allies also sought to strengthen his position by stressing Mr Corbyn’s natural scepticism to the EU left him well-placed for the challenges ahead.
Ms Smith, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, told the Press Association: “I think my feeling is Jeremy Corbyn needs to bear his share of the responsibility for the way in which he led the EU referendum campaign from a Labour perspective.”
The former shadow minister said Mr Corbyn should also assess his performance, adding: “He really ought to consider his position.”
Her comments were echoed by Vote Leave chairman and Labour MP Gisela Stuart, although she did not name the Labour leader.
Ms Smith said she did not want to put a time frame on when Mr Corbyn should come to a decision although said “a lot” of her colleagues in Parliament will feel “disturbed” by the referendum result.
She went on: “Will they respect the views of the electorate? Of course they will but also there are huge challenges for us and they will be looking for signs of leadership on this.”
Asked to assess Mr Corbyn’s performance during the referendum campaign, Ms Smith said: “If you are helping to lead the campaign for continued membership of the European Union then it’s clearly not acceptable to say you only support the EU on a scale of seven out of 10.
“We are looking for commitment over the future of the UK’s place in Europe.”
With the overwhelming majority of Labour MPs backing In, there was raw anger among some as it became clear the vote had gone against them.
MPs complained the party was “out of touch” as its traditional northern strongholds voted comfortably for Leave.
Frontbencher Chris Bryant turned on former leader Ed Miliband, whose overhaul of the party’s rule book was widely seen to have paved the way for Jeremy Corbyn’s election as leader.
“I might go and punch him because he’s a tosspot and he left the party in the state it’s in,” he said.
Lord Mandelson warned a new Tory leader will seek to hold a general election.
Asked if Mr Corbyn would be the Labour leader to fight the next election, Lord Mandelson replied: “My answer, I’m afraid, is that what I think has become clear to many in the party during this referendum campaign is that Jeremy can’t cut it.”
A senior Labour source said the mood within the party was one of “utter devastation, despair, horror – pick your own adjective” and there was “some anger against Jeremy, but there always is”.
The source said they were not aware of any well-organised plot to attempt to oust the leader, although there were reports of a letter signed by Labour MPs calling for his head.
The source added: “The simple fact remains that if you hijack a national tragedy to try to get rid of a leader you don’t like, it looks self-serving.”
Earlier, Mr Corbyn defended his performance, saying: “A lot of the message that has come back from this is that many communities are fed up with cuts, they are fed up with economic dislocation and feel very angry at the way they have been betrayed and marginalised by successive governments in very poor areas of the country.
“The point I was making was there were good things that had come from Europe in working conditions and environmental protections but there were other issues that had not been addressed properly.”
Gisela Stuart used a victory address at Vote Leave’s headquarters to claim that party leaders should reflect on how they represent the views of voters.
Without naming Mr Corbyn, she said: “It is now incumbent to all party leaders to also reflect to what extent they are representing and reflecting the views of the voters.”
A senior Labour source said the mood within the party was one of “utter devastation, despair, horror – pick your own adjective” and there was “some anger against Jeremy, but there always is”.
The source said they were not aware of any well-organised plot to attempt to oust the leader, although there were reports of a letter signed by Labour MPs calling for his head.
The source added: “The simple fact remains that if you hijack a national tragedy to try to get rid of a leader you don’t like, it looks self-serving.”
Leading Leave campaigner and Labour MP Gisela Stuart used a victory address at Vote Leave’s headquarters to claim that party leaders should reflect on how they represent the views of voters.
Without naming Mr Corbyn, she said: “It is now incumbent to all party leaders to also reflect to what extent they are representing and reflecting the views of the voters.”
