Shadow Environment Secretary Resigns Amid UK Labour ‘Civil War’

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Kerry McCarthy, the environment secretary in the UK Labour Party’s shadow cabinet, resigned on Sunday to become the seventh minister to join a coup against party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Britain voted on Thursday to exit the European Union. Labour cabinet ministers accused Jeremy Corbyn of running a lackluster campaign to keep the country in and called for a change of leadership.

"Although I do not doubt your personal commitment to your long-held principles, I believe that a new leader is needed to take on the challenges ahead," McCarthy wrote in a letter to Corbyn posted on Twitter.

​She said a new Labour leader should be capable of "steering our way through the very difficult period facing this country; exerting a decisive influence on the post-referendum initiations; and winning broad-based electoral support."

Up to a half of the shadow cabinet is expected to quit, according to the public broadcaster BBC. Earlier today, shadow transport secretary Lilian Greenwood, shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray, shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander, shadow education secretary Lucy Powell, and shadow minister for young people Gloria de Piero all stepped down.

Simultaneously, shadow home secretary Andy Burnham said he was not going to take part in a "coup" against any leader of the Labour Party, and accused the opposition of "plunging itself into a civil war."

This comes after Jeremy Corbyn sacked shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn after the latter told the party leader in a phone conversation he had lost confidence in him.