50 per cent of Labour members want Corbyn to quit before general election

Half of Labour members want Jeremy Corbyn to stand down as leader before the next general election, according to a new survey.

The research, carried out in the aftermath of Labour’s shock loss in the Copeland by-election, showed a six-point leader for activists who hoped Corbyn would go before 2020 compared to those who wanted him to stay and fight Theresa May.

The findings, in an Election Data/YouGov poll, were published as John McDonnell ruled himself out of ever standing again but said that Labour was “building up a succession for the long-term future”.

Overall the survey showed 50 per cent of Labour members want Corbyn to step down before the general election while 44 per cent want him to stay on.

Corbyn comfortably fought off a challenge from former shadow cabinet minister Owen Smith last summer and his approval ratings have dipped since then – although he still command backing from a majority of members.

Some 54 per cent said they approved of his performance as leader, down 18 percentage points on a year ago, while 37 per cent said they disapproved, up 20.

Yvette Cooper, who contest the leadership in 2015, emerged as the most popular person after Corbyn when members were asked “which three or four” candidates they would consider voting for in a leadership election, followed by Chuka Umunna and Keir Starmer.

The study was carried out last week before excerpts were released for Peston on Sunday. The full report is due out this morning.