Jeremy Corbyn snapped having a nap in public just hours after disastrous Copeland defeat
The party's by-election loss in Copeland prompted calls for the Labour chief to quit
UNDER-FIRE Jeremy Corbyn snoozed in public during the biggest crisis of his leadership — as he was also accused of “running scared” from his own MPs.
As Labour faced the pain of another northern by-election following the death of elderly MP Sir Gerald Kaufman, pictures have emerged of the hapless party boss fast asleep in the middle of the day.
They were taken last Friday, just hours after a devastating defeat in Copeland prompted fresh calls for the useless Labour chief to quit.
Our revelation will raise new questions about whether the 67 year old is up to the job of Leader of the Opposition.
He was snapped asleep on a train from London to Stoke on Trent, shortly after lunch on Friday afternoon.
An hour later he arrived in Stoke for a five minute appearance to celebrate holding the safe Labour seat at last week’s other crunch by-election.
One Labour MP told The Sun: “Crisis, what crisis?”
And another MP blasted the Labour leader for “literally sleeping on the job”.
One concerned Labour MP warned that “the cabal around Jeremy are wearing him out.”
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“And you get the feeling they don’t care at all as they are more concerned about pursuing their agenda.”
They added: “he walks around looking exhausted all the time, so no wonder he can’t stay awake.”
Fresh from the Copeland disaster, Labour will now have to defend their safe Manchester Gorton seat that had been held by Sir Gerald Kaufman since 1983.
But the Lib Dems — who came a strong second in 2005 and 2010 — will be hoping to severely dent the 24,079 majority.
Labour sources indicated they will try hold ballot on the same day as the Manchester Mayoral election in May to try help them hold the seat.
Following last week’s electoral blow the Labour leader swerved the weekly closed-doors meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party — prompting on Labour MP to brand their leader “a man running scared of the truth.”
And the Shadow Chancellor was caught up in a bizarre row after trying to distance himself from his own article accusing plotters of a “soft coup” against Jeremy Corbyn that was published the same day he publicly called for party unity.
This is not the first time Mr Corbyn has made a train gaffe.
Last August he was caught up in an extraordinary row with Virgin trains after he claimed he could not get a seat on a “ram packed” service — only to be filmed minutes later taking an empty berth.