London Mayor Khan Backs Corbyn Challenger for Labour Leadership

(Bloomberg) -- London Mayor Sadiq Khan called on members of the U.K. opposition Labour Party to oust Jeremy Corbyn as their leader in a vote that starts Monday, saying Corbyn is “extremely unlikely” to lead Labour back to power.

Khan, who is the most powerful Labour politician to hold elected office, called on Labour members to support Corbyn’s challenger, Owen Smith. Corbyn failed to “show the leadership we desperately needed” during the campaign for the referendum on Britain’s European Union membership, Khan wrote in Sunday’s Observer newspaper. “Why would things be different in a general election?” Khan said.

Since the Brexit vote, most members of Corbyn’s team of parliamentary spokesmen have quit and he has lost a confidence vote among Labour lawmakers, prompting Smith to challenge him. Most recent opinion polls show the Conservatives under new Prime Minister Theresa May more than 10 percentage points ahead of Labour.

“Jeremy’s personal ratings are the worst of any opposition leader on record -– and the Labour Party is suffering badly as a result,” Khan said. “I am afraid we simply cannot afford to go on like this.”

Even so, many rank-and-file Labour members remain supportive of Corbyn, and bookmakers make him the clear favorite to retain the leadership. Ballot papers will be sent out starting Monday, with the result due to be announced Sept. 24. The Sunday Times newspaper reported that opponents of Corbyn are planning to set up a rebel group in Parliament to coordinate defiance of the leader if he is re-elected.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eddie Buckle in London at ebuckle@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs