In a no-holds-barred attack on the Labour leader the Leeds MP said Corbyn, who lives in London’s super-posh Islington, no longer understood either the traditional working class voter nor the anger his inexplicable stance of Brexit had triggered outside of the capital. The MP for Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire said he and his family were steeped in Labour after his great-grandfather helped to found the party in the Leeds in 1906. The 59-year-old wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “My great grandfather Henry helped to found the Labour party in Leeds in 1906.
“My great grandparents, my grandparents and my parents were all Labour party members and voters.
“But I am standing down as the Labour MP for Bassetlaw because I can no longer tolerate the rank hypocrisy of the Labour leader.”
He hit out at Corbyn for his both for a lack of and honest coherrent Brexit strategy and for failing to take advantage of the crisis in the Tory party. He accused him of simply “sitting on the fence” over Brexit.
He even said Corbyn was prepared to lie accusing him of saying one thing to Labour Remain voters and another to Labour leave voters.
He added: “Boris Johnson is trapped at the moment by a Remain majority in parliament – but Corbyn is also trapped, because he says one thing to MPs in Labour Leave seats and something entirely different to Labour Remain supporters.
“Which means Labour’s position on Brexit will not stand up to any scrutiny at a general election because it’s sitting on the fence.”
Ahead of an expected election before the year is out, Mr Mann said Mr Corbyn has underestimated the levels of anger towards the direction he has taken the party – and added even die-hard Labour supporters could be swayed to another party.
Mr Mann said there is a disconnect between working class voters and Mr Corbyn and pointed to the Labour leaders lack of patriotism.
He said: “Among working-class Labour voters, the perception of a Labour MP is someone who would automatically support the Royal British Legion and shake a bucket for Help for Heroes.
“And that’s Jeremy Corbyn’s fundamental problem with these voters because they don’t believe that he would. Having promised them at the last election that Labour would see through Brexit, he fails to understand just how great the level of anger is out there and how it’s building up by the day.
“But voters have got far more respect for people who have a strong view and some integrity, even if they disagree with them.
“In the traditional Labour areas, Corbyn is relying on the hard work and personality of Labour MPs (who the party is now trying to deselect) and the deep sense of loyalty people like my family has had throughout the generations.
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He said: “The anger is much greater now than it was in the expenses scandal and it was visceral then.
“There’s one word they use, all the time, constantly, and repeatedly – it’s Corbyn. If he was to stand down, Labour would have a huge, huge boost in the polls.
“Anybody who goes out on the doorstep of those traditional Labour areas knows this is true – anybody.”
