Tom Watson to hold crunch talks with union bosses in fresh bid to remove Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader

Crunch talks: Mr Watson is speaking to union leaders in a fresh attempt to persuade Mr Corbyn to stand down as Labour leader
Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
Jamie Bullen5 July 2016
WEST END FINAL

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Tom Watson is set to hold crunch talks with union leaders in a fresh attempt to remove Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader.

The deputy leader told Mr Corbyn in a one-on-one meeting he could not continue in the job without the support of MPs, who gave him a vote of no confidence last week.

On Tuesday, Mr Watson is set to take part in emergency talks with leaders from Labour-backed unions in renewed bid to persuade Mr Corbyn to stand aside.

At a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party, Mr Watson described the meeting to MPs as the “last throw of the dice”.

It comes as Mr Corbyn posted a video in defence of his leadership record, the clearest indication yet he will not bow to pressure from those calling for him to resign.

Last week, MPs voted overwhelmingly to give Mr Corbyn a vote of no confidence amid anger at his performance during the EU referendum campaign.

But Mr Corbyn said he wanted to “talk directly” to Labour members following a week that has seen his leadership plunged into crisis.

On Monday, former shadow business secretary Andrea Eagle said she had the support of MPs to mount a challenge against the leader and called for him to “take action”.

In a blunt warning, Ms Eagle said: “There are many people, MPs, party members up and down the country, asking me to resolve the impasse and I will if something isn’t done soon.

“I have the support to run and resolve this impasse and I will do so if Jeremy doesn’t take action soon.”

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