Labour Party crisis: Tom Watson being touted as interim leader if Jeremy Corbyn is forced to resign

Mr Watson said he is to hold emergency talks with Mr Corbyn on Monday to "discuss the way forward" after nine members of the shadow cabinet announced they were resigning - with more expected to follow.

In a statement, Mr Watson said he was "saddened" so many colleagues felt unable to carry on and "deeply disappointed" at the sacking overnight of shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn which triggered the walkout.

First to go was shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander followed by the shadow minister Gloria De Piero.

They were followed at intervals through the day by shadow education secretary Lucy Powell, shadow environment secretary Kerry McCarthy, shadow transport secretary Lilian Greenwood, shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray, shadow Northern Ireland secretary Vernon Coaker, shadow justice secretary Lord Falconer and shadow Treasury chief secretary Seema Malhotra.

The mass walkout was triggered by the sacking overnight of Mr Benn amid reports that he was working to co-ordinate a coup against the Labour leader.

Today the BBC's Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg tweeted:

As Mr Corbyn's shadow cabinet impoded this morning Mr Watson was seen living it up at Glastonbury.

The MP uploaded to Snapchat pictures and videos of himself enjoying the festival, apparently oblivious to what was taking place in the Labour Party.

He also tweeted:

According to his Snapchat posts he was enjoying a 'silent disco' at the festival until 4am.

Mr Watson was later spotted at Castle Cary train station waiting to catch a train back to London.

He told the Telegraph he was not planning to resign but wanted to get to London to "find out what's going on".

Jeremy Corbyn's office told Sky News "there will be no resignation of a democratically elected leader".

Adrian Bailey, Labour MP for West Bromwich West, was among colleagues calling for Mr Corbyn's resignation.

He said: "I have indicated to Margaret Hodge that I will be supporting her no confidence letter and I will be voting, assuming there is a vote, no confidence in the Labour Party leadership.

"Jeremy had the opportunity in the referendum campaign to demonstrate to Labour voters he could lead them to a strong position in Europe and spell out the benefits to traditional Labour voters. Quite demonstrably he has failed to do that.

"It never looked as if his heart was in the campaign. He never set out his position as you would expect from a Leader of the Opposition of potential Prime Minister.

"We are probably four years away from a general election. It's obvious that it appears Jeremy would not win that which means we have to have a new leader in place that will once again make contact with Labour voters and get them on our side again."

John Spellar, Labour MP for Warley, also said it was clear it was time for a change and that he would back any no confidence vote.

Mr Spellar called Jeremy Corbyn an "oppositionalist politician" but said an alternative PM is what is needed.

Wolverhampton South Wast MP Pat McFadden, who was sacked by Mr Corbyn as shadow Europe minister oin January told Sky News this morning that Labour needs a new leader.

He says that for Labour the "exam question" changed with Thursday's EU referendum result and that when the party elected Mr Corbyn as leader, people did not expect an election until 2020 but now it looked like there could be one much earlier.

Mr McFadden said the referendum campaign had demonstrated Mr Corbyn's inability to show leadership.

He warned that, if the Conservatives were to win the next election easily, the country could end up with a one-party, rightwing Tory state.