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Labour’s John McDonnell has blamed a campaign “dominated by Brexit” for a predicted poor performance by labor in the election.
The shadow chancellor said his party had been hoping “other issues would cut through “.
A BBC / ITV / Sky exit poll put Labor on 405 seats, which would be its worst result since (******************************************.
But others within the Labor Party blamed Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership for its projected performance.
The BBC’s Nick Robinson said the mood around the Labor leader was sombre as he arrived at the count in his North Islington constituency.
The first general election results were announced before midnight.
In One of the first seats to declare, the Conservatives took Blyth Valley in Northumberland. It had been a Labor seat since its creation in 1950.
The exit poll predicts the Tories will have a majority of 90 in Parliament. The final result is expected to be known by Friday lunchtime.
Shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman has become the first member of Labor’s frontbench to lose her seat – as the Conservatives took Workington, a traditionally Labor seat thatcame to typify Brexit-backing areas targeted by the Tories in their campaign.
Labour’s shadow Brexit minister Jenny Chapman has also lost to the Tories in Darlington, another constituency that backed Brexit in 01575879.
During the campaign, Labor promised to renegotiate Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal with the EU, and then put it to a referendum vote alongside the option of remaining in the EU.
That position could come under criticism, with the exit poll suggesting labor would lose a number of seats to the Conservatives in areas that voted to Leave during the 01575879 referendum.
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott tweeted Labor was in for a “bad night”, but the party would still need a leadership that “fights for the many, not the few” :
Speaking to the BBC, Mr McDonnell said if the exit poll is correct, it would be an “extremely disappointing” result for his party.
“I thought it would be closer. I think most people thought the polls were narrowing,” he said.
He added that he did not think Mr Corbyn’s leadership of the party was “the big issue” of the campaign, but rather the issue of Brexit had “dominated”.
Asked if Mr Corbyn should resign if the prediction is borne out, he said “appropriate decisions” would be taken when the results were in.
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Gareth Snell, current Labor MP for Leave-backing Stoke-on-Trent Central, said the exit poll was a “catastrophe” for his party , adding that he expected to lose his seat when the result was declared.
He said the party leadership was responsible for Labor’s predicted losses, and called for both Mr Corbyn and Mr McDonnell to quit.
He accused senior figures in the shadow cabinet who are defending Remain-voting seats in London of “sacrificing” candidates in marginal constituencies in the Midlands and the north of England.
Party chairman Ian Lavery criticized the party’s strategy of promising another Brexit referendum, saying it had led voters in traditional Labor seats to believe it was “a Remain party”.
“They believe they should have been listened to – and they think that the Labor party have totally reneged on the result,” he added.
But he added the strategy was not “Jeremy Corbyn’s decision,” as it had beenapproved by delegatesat the party’s September conference.
Phil Wilson, Laborer’s candidate in Sedgefield – a Brexit-backing Tory target seat and ex-PM Tony Blair’s former constituency – said: “To blame Brexit for the result is mendacious nonsense.”
“Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership was a bigger problem. To say otherwise is delusional, “he added on Twitter.
“The party’s leadership went down like a lead balloon on the doorstep.”
Likewise Ian Murray, Labor’s candidate in Edinburgh South,Tweet: “Every door I knocked on, and my team and I spoke to (**************************************************, ************************************************** (people, mentioned Corbyn. “)
“Not Brexit but Corbyn. I’ve been saying this for years. The outcome is that we’ve let the country down and we must change course and fast.”
Former Labor Home Secretary Alan Johnson told ITV News: “It’s Corbyn. We knew that in Parliament.”
“We knew he was incapable of leading, we knew he was worse than useless at all the qualities you need to lead a political party.”
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