Ed Miliband: I was wrong to call for Jeremy Corbyn to quit
1 min read
Ed Miliband last night said he was “clearly wrong” to call for Jeremy Corbyn to resign as Labour leader at the height of its bitter civil war last year.
The former Labour leader said his successor had “proved me and others wrong” with his performance in the snap general election in June.
Dozens of frontbenchers quit Mr Corbyn’s top team in 2016 after the UK voted to quit the EU. Many were angered after he called for the two-year Brexit process be triggered immediately.
The revolt – branded a coup by Mr Corbyn’s supporters – culminated in the leadership challenge by Owen Smith, who was soundly beaten by Mr Corbyn.
At the height of the row, Mr Miliband publicly joined the calls for the Labour leader to stand down, saying: “His position is untenable.”
But after Mr Corbyn shocked Westminster by gaining some 30 seats at the snap election in June, Mr Miliband said he changed his view.
“Clearly I was wrong,” he told a Momentum event on the fringes of the Labour party annual conference in Brighton last night.
“I think he proved me and others wrong with what he did at the election.”
He added: “I actually think the leadership election helped him, if I’m honest…
“I think having had the leadership election it sort of re-built his mandate and in a way I think the PLP was then able to unite behind him.”
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