Angela Eagle to announce Labour

party leadership bid on Monday

Daniel Boffey

Angela Eagle is to announce a formal challenge against Jeremy

Corbyn for the leadership of the Labour party on Monday, after the
deputy leader, Tom Watson, announced that union-backed peace
talks over a compromise had collapsed.
Watson claimed in a statement that Corbyn had torpedoed any
hope of talks progressing by publicly declaring his intention to stay
on as leader come what may.
In a statement released on Saturday morning, Watson said that
with regret and profound sadness he had concluded that there

was little to be achieved in continuing discussions between the

theguardian.com

parliamentary party, including chief whip Rosie Winterton and

parliamentary party chair John Cryer.
It is understood that Watson had been privately asking the two key
contenders for the leadership, Eagle and Owen Smith, to hold back
from launching their campaigns to allow further time for an
agreement with Corbyn to be made.
Watsons statement suggested that he was now content for the
contenders to publicly state their intentions to challenge Corbyn,
who is resolved to stay on in his post despite the widespread lack
of confidence in his role among MPs.
Eagle subsequently said she would announce a bid for the
leadership of the Labour party on Monday morning, adding that she
will explain my vision for the country and the difference a strong
Labour party can make.
Eagle, who was shadow business secretary before resigning from
Corbyns frontbench, said: I want to thank our deputy leader, Tom

Watson, the chair of the parliamentary Labour party, John Cryer,

unions, who are largely backing Corbyn, and key members of the

to find a solution to the impasse Labour faces, with a leader who

has failed to fulfil his first and foremost duty.
That is to lead an organised and effective PLP that can both hold
the government to account and demonstrate we are ready to form a
government in the event of a general election.
On Monday morning I will announce my candidature for leader of
the Labour party. I will explain my vision for the country and the
difference a strong Labour party can make.
Watsons statement explained: Since the talks began, Jeremy has
publicly declared his intention to continue as leader come what
may. This means there is no realistic prospect of reaching a

compromise that satisfies the majority of colleagues in the PLP.

and chief whip Rosie Winterton and the union movement for trying

It is with regret and profound sadness that I have concluded there

is little to be achieved by pursuing wider conversations with our
union affiliates at this time.

Sign up to The Guardian Today and get the must-read stories

delivered straight to your inbox each morning

The Labour party was founded with the explicit aim of pursuing the

Jeremy Corbyn, Tom Watson (left), and Angela Eagle during a referendum
event in London. Photograph: Frank Augstein/AP

command the support of their MPs in the parliamentary Labour

party, as well as party members, in order to achieve that. It is clear
to all that Jeremy has lost the support of the PLP with little prospect
of regaining it.
Watson said he felt that significant progress had been made in the
talks between the unions and the parliamentary party
representatives, in a sign that there may be some doubts among
union leaders over the sense in Corbyn continuing.
But the deputy Labour leader appeared to suggest that Corbyns
intransigence, based on the democratic mandate earned from his
landslide victory in the leadership election last September, and the
firm resolve among MPs to unseat the leader, had meant that
progress was impossible.
He said: I felt we made significant progress during those talks,
which were designed to find a solution to the impasse the party
finds itself in. It is my strong belief that those discussions could

have formed a basis for further talks with union representatives.

parliamentary path to socialism. Every Labour leader needs to

intention to continue as leader come what may. This means there is

no realistic prospect of reaching a compromise that satisfies the
majority of colleagues in the PLP.

Owen Smith could also launch a leadership bid. Photograph: Gareth

Fuller/PA

A spokesman for Corbyn said he has reached out to Labour MPs

and made clear he wants to work with them to carry out his role as
elected leader of the party.
He added: Jeremy regards the talks with trade union leaders as a
vehicle to bring people together, and it is disappointing that some

have walked away from them. Jeremy is committed to fulfilling all

However, since the talks began, Jeremy has publicly declared his

betray the hundreds of thousands of people who elected him for a

different direction for the Labour party and a different kind of
politics.
He continues to be fully committed to working with the
parliamentary Labour party and is ready to talk with as many
people as necessary to assist that process, discussing policy
initiatives and listening to ideas. He will remain leader of the Labour
party and will contest any leadership challenge if one is mounted.
Corbyns leadership was plunged into crisis after Britains vote to
the leave the EU in the referendum last month, with large numbers
of his shadow cabinet resigning and publicly stating they had no
confidence in his leadership.
The mass departure of senior cabinet ministers came after Hilary
Benn, the former shadow foreign minister, was sacked for his
alleged involvement in a coup against the leader. A series of tense
meetings of the PLP have been held in subsequent weeks but the

challenge has faltered following Corbys refusal to stand down.

his responsibilities as democratically elected leader and will not

bid, declined to say whether he would challenge Eagle and Corbyn.

I am deeply disappointed that talks about the future of our party
appear to have broken down, he said. I know Tom Watson has
worked tirelessly in a bid to reach agreement and respect his view
that he cannot take this process any further.
I am continuing efforts to heal divisions through dialogue and
intend to meet with Jeremy as soon as possible to explore any and
all avenues to save our party. This is the greatest crisis facing
Labour in generations and it comes at a time when our country is in
desperate need of a united Labour party to speak for Britain.
I remain extremely concerned that a small number of people from
both the left and right of our party seem intent on letting it split. The
Labour movement must come together to avoid this at all costs. I
remain committed to doing anything necessary to prevent a split

and unite the party.

Meanwhile, Smith, who is also expected to announce a leadership