Tom Watson in union talks over Corbyn deadlock

Mr Watson will meet with four of the country’s biggest unions in what he told members of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) will be a “last throw of the dice” to try and get the Labour leader to stand aside following his vote of no confidence.

The decision comes after Mr Watson held a face-to-face meeting with Mr Corbyn lasting twenty minutes on Monday morning in Westminster to once again encourage him to stand aside.

However Mr Corbyn, who was elected leader with 60 percent of the vote, refused and released a video to party members in which he said: “I have a huge a responsibility and I am carrying on with that responsibility.”

He added: “I want to reach out to all our members, to all our supporters, all our trade union affiliates and to my colleagues in Parliament. Come together now to oppose this Tory Government.”

A spokesperson for Mr Watson said it was not possible to continue as leader of the Labour Party without support from MPs.

He said: “Jeremy made it clear he was not going to leave and continue as Labour leader, and that was the end of the meeting.

“The union leaders have reached out to Tom and they have suggested a way forward. That a settlement might still be possible so Tom told the PLP he will meet with union leaders.

“Tom said to his colleagues he needs a last throw of the dice. He has met with Angela [Eagle] and Owen [Smith] and they accept that is the right thing to do while there is a chance of some sort of deal, they have to try and pursue that. But Tom said he is acutely aware the window is closing very rapidly on that.

“He has asked his colleagues to give him some time to see if that can be done and that was very well received by the PLP.”

Mr Watson will meet the unions alongside chair of the PLP, John Cryer MP.

One Labour member said that the parliamentary party remain resolute in their efforts to get Mr Corbyn to stand down following last week’s vote of no confidence.

Neither Mr Corbyn nor Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell attended the meeting.

Fresh talks with the unions come as Fabian Hamilton, the MP for Leeds North East, becomes the latest shadow cabinet member to quit, bringing the total party members to have deserted Mr Corbyn to 65.

Mr Hamilton was appointed as shadow Europe minister just one week ago - a promotion from his position as a junior foreign office minister - but it was confirmed today by sources close to the leader that he has resigned.

The 61-year-old father-of-three, who has represented his seat since 1997, abstained in last week’s vote of no confidence in Mr Corbyn and told members of his constituency party that he thought the vote’s result was unconstitutional. However it was confirmed on Monday that he had resigned from his position.

FORMER Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock gave a rousing speech to members in Westminster telling the party the path to socialism is Parliamentary, not revolutionary.

Mr Kinnock was applauded at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party as he said Mr Corbyn should not continue without the backing of MPs.

He quoted the party’s 1918 constitution in which he said the party had made a conscious decision to follow the “Parliamentary road to socialism”.

A source said: “It was a remarkable moment”.

Two doors further down the corridor, Conservative MPs were holding a hustings with all five candidates giving 15 minute speeches.