Yahoo Movies Jeremy Corbyn hints he will leave his role as Labour leader 'in the early part of next year'
Jeremy Corbyn has hinted that he will step down as Labour leader “in the early part of next year”.
In the wake of his party’s resounding general election defeat, which prompted Mr Corbyn to say he will not lead Labour into another general election, he was asked about his timetable to leave.
The Labour leader replied: “The National Executive will have to meet, of course, in the very near future and it is up to them. It will be in the early part of next year.”
Mr Corbyn added: “This election was ultimately taken over by Brexit and we as a party represent people who voted both Remain and Leave.
“My whole strategy was to reach out beyond the Brexit divide to try and bring people together, because ultimately the country has to come together.”
GENERAL ELECTION REACTION: MORE FROM YAHOO UK
‘Victory for Boris’: What the papers said about huge Conservative majority
Tony Blair’s former seat lost to Tories during disastrous night for Labour
In pictures: Jo Swinson and Nigel Dodds among big names to lose election seats
When asked what went wrong, Mr Corbyn said: “Those in Leave areas in some numbers voted for Brexit or Conservative candidates, which means we lost a number of seats and we didn’t make the gains I hoped we could have done, particularly in the Midlands and Yorkshire and the north.”
Earlier, as it became clear his party was set to suffer a historic general election defeat, the Labour leader, who blamed the media and Brexit for his party’s heavy losses, said he would quit.
He criticised media "attacks" towards himself, his family and the party, adding: "I want to also make it clear that I will not lead the party in any future general election campaign.”
Labour suffered its worst result in more than 80 years in Thursday’s general election, losing seats in some of its major heartlands and witnessing the fall of the so-called ‘Red Wall’.
Mr Corbyn added: “I’ve done everything I could to lead this party, I’ve done everything I could to develop its policies, and since I became leader the membership has more than doubled and the party has developed a very serious […] and fully costed manifesto, and I’ve received more personal abuse than any other leader has ever received by a great deal of the media.”
