Mental Health Minster resigns as ‘loyalty to the party must come first’

Jeremy Corbyn has been publicly accused of undermining Labour’s efforts in the European Union referendum campaign as his grip on the party leadership looked increasingly weak.

Former home secretary Alan Johnson, who ran Labour’s campaign for a Remain vote in the referendum, claimed the leader’s office had “conflicting objectives” to the rest of the party.

His comments came after another wave of shadow cabinet ministers quit in protest at his leadership and it appeared inevitable he would face a challenge to his position.

Luciana Berger quit her shadow cabinet-level role as mental health minister saying “loyalty to the party must come first”, becoming the eighth member of Mr Corbyn’s top team to resign on Monday.

The full-blown coup aimed at ousting Mr Corbyn follows the dramatic events in the wake of the Brexit vote, with Labour MPs fearing an early election against David Cameron’s successor.

Despite Mr Corbyn’s insistence that he was firmly behind the Remain cause, he has a history of Euroscepticism and the party’s MPs have publicly questioned his commitment on the issue.

In an email to colleagues as Parliament returned following the vote for Brexit, Mr Johnson said: “Everyone else needs to make their own assessment as to whether more could have been done to prevent this disastrous result. I will certainly do this, as I hope will the leader’s office.

“At times it felt as if they were working against the rest of the party and had conflicting objectives.

“I was proud to work with some great people who tried their very best to get the result we all wanted. Nobody in the leadership had the right to undermine their efforts.”

Luciana Berger’s resignation letter in full:

Further to our conversation today, it is with deep sadness that I am writing to you to confirm my decision to stand aside as Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health.

You have served with great principle and have shown me nothing but kindness and courtesy since appointing me. I am grateful that you recognise the importance of mental health and took the decision to make this a Shadow Cabinet level post. I know that this decision has been widely welcomed and has raised the profile of mental health across our country. I believe that we have achieved a great deal together in holding the Tory Government to account for its failings and putting together policies that, when implemented by a future Labour government, will make a significant improvement to the lives of the one in four people who experience a mental health problem. The referendum result last Thursday has utterly changes the political situation. As a nation, we now face a crisis as great as the financial crisis of 2007, and a task as monumental as the reconstruction of 1945. The people I am privileged to represent desperately need united Labour leadership to steer us through these turbulent times.

I have listened hard to the arguments on both, sides and thought deeply. My conviction is that we need a Labour Leader who can unite our Party, both in Parliament and in the country. I have always served the Labour Party and our Leader with loyalty. Having listened closely to local party members, loyalty to the party must come first.

Once again, I want to express my gratitude for appointing me to the shadow cabinet. It has been a privilege to serve.

Luciana Berger

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