THE leader of Burnley Council’s Labour group Cllr Mark Townsend has called on Jeremy Corbyn to quit immediately in he wake of last week’s election defeat.

He said the 70-year-old left-winger had put the party ‘in the wilderness’.

Cllr Townsend, who remains leader of the group despite the party losing control of Burnley Council in May, posted on Facebook: “I cannot believe Corbyn hasn’t resigned with immediate effect. He will be in Parliament before Xmas still supposedly representing and leading us. I’ve put up with it for to long, defending the indefensible on doorsteps, and he no longer speaks for me.

“He shouldn’t be the one ‘reflecting’ on what happened and plotting a course forward. He has put us in the wilderness, left ‘the many’ in despair rather than with hope and left to him for anytime at all he will steer us into another cul-de-sac.

“He needs to GO NOW.”

Current leader of Burnley Council Cllr Charlie Briggs said: “I have no comment. I don’t want to intrude on the private Labour party grief. It’s nothing to do with me.”

Cllr Gordon Birtwistle, leader of the borough Liberal Democrats, said: “Perhaps Cllr Townsend should consider his own position.”