The mayhem in Labour ranks continued today, with one former member of Jeremy Corbyn's top team urging him to quit now rather than "drag this out" as frontbenchers continued to quit.
Mr Corbyn lost 12 members of his shadow cabinet on Sunday, and further resignations have already taken place on Monday ahead of a crunch meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party.
Stephen Kinnock, the son of former leader Lord Kinnock, quit from his role as a shadow ministerial aide - while junior frontbenchers Diana Johnson, Anna Turley and Toby Perkins all resigned as the protest against Mr Corbyn's leadership continued.
Former shadow education secretary Lucy Powell, who resigned on Sunday, insisted it was not a "planned coup" against Mr Corbyn, but instead a reaction to the "seismic" events which have shaken Westminster in recent days - the EU referendum result and David Cameron's resignation.
Mr Corbyn has vowed to fight on as leader, challenging the rebels to put up a candidate to stand against him, but Ms Powell told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she hoped he would "not drag this out any longer than necessary".
Ms Powell was among 11 shadow cabinet members to resign on Sunday, while Hilary Benn was sacked from his post as shadow foreign secretary after months of frustration among Labour MPs over Mr Corbyn's leadership.
Deputy leader Tom Watson, who expressed sadness at the resignations, is due to hold crisis talks with Mr Corbyn about the "way forward" for the party.
In a tough talking statement, Mr Corbyn insisted he would fight for his job and contest any leadership challenge.
"I was elected by hundreds of thousands of Labour Party members and supporters with an overwhelming mandate for a different kind of politics," he said.
Anyone who wanted to change the Labour leadership would have to stand in an election "in which I will be a candidate", he vowed.
Ms Powell said: "I don't think it's sufficient to say 'I have the support of the members'. A leader of the Labour Party, a leader of any political party, has to command both the support of the membership as well as the support of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP)."
Asked whether she wanted Mr Watson to deliver that message to Mr Corbyn, she said: "I think lots of people have been making that clear to Jeremy, I did when I had a conversation with him yesterday.
"I don't know what Tom is going to discuss with Jeremy this morning, but I think it is now very clear that the position of Jeremy as the head of the Parliamentary Labour Party is pretty untenable and I hope that he would reflect on that.
"This is now a very difficult time for the country, we need strong leadership."
She added: "I really do hope that Jeremy will now reflect on this himself and not drag this out any longer than necessary."
Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP Neil Coyle announced he was quitting his role as parliamentary aide to the shadow leader of the Commons in response to Mr Corbyn's handling of the EU vote.
A motion of no confidence is set to be considered at the PLP meeting with the possibility of a secret vote on Tuesday.
But shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry said she would not be resigning because "I think it is important we raise our eye above our navels and look to the country".
On Mr Corbyn's future with the Labour Party, she said the "honourable thing" in these circumstances is to be speaking up on behalf of people who are going to be hit hardest as a result of Brexit rather than being "embroiled in internal party politics".
She told Good Morning Britain: "I think everybody should be genuinely worried about the country. They should be genuinely worried about where is the leadership coming from. We have got the guy at number 10 who is in there sulking.
"We have got the Chancellor now coming out this morning finally in order to say something.
"We have got all the Brexiteers from the Tory party who are now just interested in their own leadership campaign.
"It is as if people were kicking against the establishment because they weren't listening to people, and now when they are needed, they are all just looking after themselves."
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