St Helens Council leader slams Jeremy Corbyn after receiving 'congratulatory' email

Cllr David Baines has blasted the Labour leader and said he should have issued an "apology" instead after the party were comprehensively defeated by the Conservatives in the general election on Thursday.

On Twitter, Cllr Baines remarked that Mr Corbyn had "failed" after the Tories won with an 80-seat majority and saw Labour record its worst performance since the 1930s.

He said: "This morning - like every other Labour member I presume - I've received this email from Jeremy Corbyn.

"It should be an apology for not being good enough to govern. It should acknowledge that mistakes have been made.

"It should set a date for his departure as leader.

"Instead it is congratulatory. It reads as if we’ve achieved something.

"It claims that what Labour have done has had ‘real results’. Well Mr Corbyn, I strongly disagree.

"As Labour Leader of St Helens Council I have a budget gap of £10m next year.

"Because you and we failed – catastrophically. I still have a budget gap of £10m to manage. You made no difference.

"You failed, Mr Corbyn. I don’t want an email from you telling me how ‘proud’ you are of my efforts.

"It means nothing at all to the people, communities, and essential public services which will continue to suffer because we weren’t good enough."

Cllr Baines said the Labour Party "weren't good enough" and called on Mr Corbyn to step down as leader without hesitation.

"You may not be able to say it Mr Corbyn, but I can – I am sorry we failed.

"I am sorry we weren’t good enough as a party. Our failure means that families will continue to need foodbanks.

"That more children will grow up in poverty. That more people will sleep rough on our streets.

"You should be apologising to these people, Jeremy Corbyn, not emailing members to pat ourselves on the back. Please, for their sake, go.

"And go now."In response to Mr Baines' comments, a Mr Corbyn supporter hit back on Twitter.

She said: "I respectively disagree.What I and many others see is this...a kind man who genuinely cares about those less fortunate.

"He's shown respect and integrity to everyone."

READ > How the people of St Helens voted in the general election

The user went on to say the Labour leader has been subjected to a "barrage of lies in the media and smear campaigns".

In the letter, Mr Corbyn states that Labour ran a campaign of "hope and unity" and "inspired millions of new voters and millions of young people for the first time".

He also said "Brexit polarised people at this election" and the country has crises in the NHS, schools, low pay and poverty.

Here is the letter in full: