- Labour MP John Mann has said Jeremy Corbyn is too old to be Prime Minister
- The MP for Bassetlaw said that Corbyn should be replaced by a woman as leader
- Mann made the comments in an interview with Blairite pundit Richard Angell
A leading Labour MP faced a Left-wing backlash last night after saying Jeremy Corbyn is ‘too old’ to lead the party at the next Election and will be replaced by a woman.
The jibe by John Mann, 58, who once called Ken Livingstone a ‘Nazi apologist’ for alleged anti-Semitic comments, emerged as activists from the hard Left Momentum group stepped up a push to sack moderate MPs.
Bassetlaw MP Mr Mann said in an interview with Blairite commentator Richard Angell: ‘I think the next Election will be in 2022, by which stage Jeremy Corbyn will be 73 and facing the prospect of being Prime Minister at 78.
John Mann (pictured) said that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is too old to be Britain’s next Prime Minister
‘I have no intention of being an MP in my 70s, never mind anything more than that. So I don’t think Corbyn will be [prime minister]. I think there will be a new leader of the Labour Party by the next General Election. I don’t know who it will be but I think it will be a woman – and it should be a woman.’
Mr Corbyn will be 73 if Theresa May serves a full five-year term and calls an Election in June 2022. If he won and served his own full term in No 10, he would be 78 by the 2027 Election.
Mr Angell is director of the pro-Blair Progress group, hated by Corbynistas for its sustained criticism of Mr Corbyn and Momentum.
Leading female Labour MPs tipped to replace Mr Corbyn include Emily Thornberry, Diane Abbott, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Angela Rayner. Mr Mann last night said it would be up to Mr Corbyn to decide when he quits.
Mr Corbyn will be 73 if Theresa May serves a full five-year term and calls an Election in June 2022