Anti-Brexit protest in London, Labor leader hit with no confidence motion
By Angus McNiece in London (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-06-29 03:49
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Over a thousand protesters assembled in London’s Trafalgar Square aimed at showing London's solidarity with the European Union following the recent EU referendum. Photo/Angus McNeice |
Over a thousand protesters assembled in London's Trafalgar Square in pouring rain on Tuesday evening to protest Britain's pending exit from the European Union.
A lively crowd of Londoners braved the rain and protested the result of the EU referendum, despite organizers having announced the event was cancelled earlier in the day. An hour into the event several protesters broke the news to the crowd that Labour legislators had passed a motion of no confidence in Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, instigated after what many viewed as a lacklustre performance on the Remain campaign trail.
Analysts said in the country, nearly 70 percent of Labour voters had opted for the Leave vote, despite the fact the remaining in the EU was official party policy.
In the ballot, MPs voted 172-40 against Corbyn, following a slew of resignations in his shadow cabinet and calls for him to resign.
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Over a thousand protesters assembled in London’s Trafalgar Square aimed at showing London's solidarity with the European Union following the recent EU referendum. Photo/Angus McNeice |
Corbyn said the vote had "no constitutional legitimacy" and did not plan to resign from a post gained in 2015 in a landslide victory. While the vote is not binding, Labour MP Wes Streeting told the BBC that Corbyn's continued leadership was "untenable" following an "unprecedented" vote of no confidence.
Britain may now face the prospect of dual leadership contests in both its main parties, following Prime Minister David Cameron's resignation on Friday.
Many commentators said disruption in what is Britain's official opposition party means the system is malfunctioning.
In Trafalgar, many waved anti-Brexit signs and flew the Flag of Europe while chants of "EU we love you" regularly rang out across the busy square.
"I'm here because on Friday I felt like I woke up in a completely different place from where I'd gone to bed," Tessa Qiu, 21, a British Chinese woman from London, told China Daily. "I think that everyone, whether they voted Leave or Remain, has been lied to. And people are feeling very worried about the future."
