UK Labour leader dismisses talk of coup attempt

UK Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn has dismissed reports of a possible coup attempt ahead of national and local elections, where the party’s performance will come under intense scrutiny.

Frustrated parliamentarians have privately argued that it is probably not the right time to mount a leadership challenge as pollsters warn Corbyn remains undefeatable in any vote of Labour members.

Labour contests elections Thursday across Scotland and Wales, as well as for local councilors in England and for the London mayoralty.

Joe Twyman, Head of Political and Social Research at YouGov, said Corbyn remained “a country mile” ahead of other potential candidates, The Guardian reported.

“The bottom line is that those eligible to vote in the Labour Party leadership election strongly supported Jeremy Corbyn last year and that has not significantly changed,” he said.

“So far no alternative candidate appears to have attracted anything like the kind of support and momentum needed to defeat him,” he added.

The Labour Party has been plagued by reports that members of Corbyn’s shadow cabinet are discussing with rebel Labour MPs plotting a coup against the leader amid an unraveling "anti-Semitism" row engulfing the party.

Reports have suggested that some party members are attempting to persuade veteran MP Margaret Hodge to stand up against Corbyn as a “stalking horse.”

ME