Corbyn must sack closest aides to stop party from 'imploding' over Brexit, says Lord Blunkett

Former cabinet minister urges Momentum and trade unions to put pressure on Mr Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn must sack his closest aides in the wake of "catastrophic" election results to save the party from collapse, Lord Blunkett has said.

In an extraordinary intervention, the Labour grandee called on Momentum, the grassroots activists network, and the trade unions to put pressure on Mr Corbyn to oust his "little clique" of advisers.

Lord Blunkett, a former home secretary, said Labour was “imploding” over its confused Brexit stance and condemned “incompetence” at the top of the party.

And he accused senior figures in Mr Corbyn's inner circle of being a block on changes to policy.

"Together with Jeremy Corbyn himself, Seumas Milne, Karie Murphy and [Unite chief] Len McCluskey, must surely be held to account for the direction Labour has taken," he wrote in The Observer.

It comes amid angry recriminations over Labour's Brexit stance, after the party slumped to third place behind the pro-EU Liberal Democrats and the Brexit Party in the European elections.

Lord Blunkett said: "In my view there are two forces within the Labour movement – the unions and Momentum – who must now act to get rid of those key advisers who are a block on policy changes and who are responsible for the incompetence we are seeing.

"The major unions have historically played a key role in the stability of the Labour Party, taking difficult and sometimes painful action when failure had to be dealt with. This is such a moment.

"The leadership of Momentum has always proclaimed that it was a popular social movement keen to reflect rank-and-file views. If they meant it, now is the time to prove it."

A Labour source said: "This attack should be seen for what it is: an attempt to weaken and undermine Jeremy Corbyn by people who know they are unable to oust him, and are prepared to damage the Labour Party in the process.

"The irony of former spin doctors and politicians orchestrating a “good-leader-bad advisers” narrative is obvious."

Mr Corbyn faces a stormy meeting of the parliamentary Labour Party on Monday, as MPs will meet for the first time since the European elections, and the divisive expulsion of Alastair Campbell.

Tony Blair's former spin doctor was ousted from the party for openly admitting he had voted for the Liberal Democrats in an act of Brexit protest.

His expulsion, which is now being reviewed, drew anger from party grandees.