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EU Referendum: MPs complain Labour is 'out of touch'

Labour has been plunged into bitter recrimination as traditional supporters turned their backs on appeals to vote for Britain to Remain in the EU.

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With the overwhelming majority of Labour MPs backing In, there was raw anger as it became clear the vote had gone against them.

MPs complained the party was "out of touch" as its traditional northern strongholds such as Sunderland, Rochdale and Oldham voted comfortably for Leave

Frontbencher Chris Bryant turned on former leader Ed Miliband, whose overhaul of the party's rule book was widely seen to have paved the way for Jeremy Corbyn's election as leader.

"I might go and punch him because he left the party in the state it's in," he said.

Mr Corbyn, a long-time Eurosceptic, defended his conduct in the campaign amid criticisms that he offered no more than lukewarm support for Remain, blaming Government austerity cuts for alienating voters.

"A lot of the message that has come back from this is that many communities are fed up with cuts, they are fed up with economic dislocation and feel very angry at the way they have been betrayed and marginalised by successive governments in very poor areas of the country," he told BBC News.

"The point I was making was there were good things that had come from Europe in working conditions and environmental protections but there were other issues that had not been addressed properly."

But backbencher John Mann, who switched to back Leave in the final weeks of the campaign, said the party was paying the price for ignoring the concerns of working class people on issues such immigration.

"Labour has gone wrong by not being in touch with its voters, I've been saying this for the last 10 years in relation to immigration and free movement of labour," he told BBC News.

"I've said it for the last 10 years repeatedly and what we're offering working class people, what the country's offering, is zero hours contracts, agency work, insecurity, and people are sick to death of it, they've had enough.

"And that's why, in my area and elsewhere, Labour voters have voted in huge numbers to leave the European Union."

Mr Mann, one of Mr Corbyn's fiercest critics in the party, acknowledged he would carry on as leader but said he had to "get out there talking to these voters, which he hasn't been doing".

Shadow international development secretary Diane Abbott, one of Mr Corbyn's closest allies, insisted his natural scepticism towards the EU meant that he was well-placed to take the party forward after the referendum.

"Jeremy Corbyn's position on Europe, which was always sceptical, was always closer to the national mood than any other party leader," she told BBC News.

"That puts him in a strong position to be a voice for working people as we go forward into these negotiations."

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, another close ally of Mr Corbyn, echoed his leader in blaming Tory austerity cuts for voter concern on immigration, arguing the Government has cut the NHS and failed to provide enough school places.

But that drew a scathing response from Labour MP John Woodcock who said: "If that's our conclusion then Labour is toast."

The Shadow Cabinet is due to meet this morning to discuss the referendum results, which has sent the pound plummeting and forced the PM's resignation.

Former Labour minister and EU commissioner Lord (Peter) Mandelson said the referendum campaign showed Mr Corbyn "can't cut it" as leader.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "I think it is more likely than not that the incoming prime minster will want to get his or her own mandate. It is what Gordon Brown didn't do when he succeeded Tony Blair and I think there is a lesson there to be learnt.

"And I would not be at all surprised if they went for a general election, and of course that raises a massive question for the Labour Party and whether we are ready to fight an election as well."

Asked if Mr Corbyn would be the Labour leader to fight the next election, Lord Mandelson replied: "Well, that's the question.

"My answer, I'm afraid, is that what I think has become clear to many in the party during this referendum campaign is that Jeremy can't cut it.

"It's not a question of his beliefs and values, which are strong, nor is it a matter of his sincerity or commitment to doing the job - he works very, very hard. He wants to do a good job.

"But the question is does he actually have the capability to do it? A leader of a political party doesn't just need practical skill, they need a real sense of direction, they have got to show and demonstrate strength to voters so as to pull them in our direction - away, for example, from Ukip now in many Labour heartland areas.

"But above all they have got to use their voice to make an impact, and that is what we didn't see from Jeremy during the referendum campaign. We didn't see impact."

He said it is up to the "new generation" of Labour MPs to decide what to do next, but added that they had the "greatest responsibility of all in our party".

Lord Mandelson went on: "They have to consider very carefully the requirements, the conditions, that are needed in order to see that success and of course to judge whether we have the best leader or not who can lead the Labour Party into success at the next general election, which, frankly, I think should be an open goal for us given what the Conservative Party are doing to each other.

"But there is this nagging doubt, I'm afraid, amongst many, that even faced with that open goal we still may not score."

A senior Labour source said the mood within the party was one of "utter devastation, despair, horror - pick your own adjective" and there was "some anger against Jeremy, but there always is".

The source said they were not aware of any well-organised plot to attempt to oust the leader, although there were reports of a letter signed by Labour MPs calling for his head.

The source added: "The simple fact remains that if you hijack a national tragedy to try to get rid of a leader you don't like, it looks self-serving."

Leading Leave campaigner and Labour MP Gisela Stuart used a victory address at Vote Leave's headquarters to claim that party leaders should reflect on how they represent the views of voters.

Without naming Mr Corbyn, she said: "It is now incumbent to all party leaders to also reflect to what extent they are representing and reflecting the views of the voters."

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