BURY MP and perspective Greater Manchester Mayor Ivan Lewis has called on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to resign as numerous key figures step down from the shadow cabinet.

Mr Lewis said he has written to the Labour leader and asked him to step down ahead of a planned no confidence vote this week.

Already today, shadow cabinet members Heidi Alexander and Gloria De Piero have resigned, while shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn was sacked by Mr Corbyn after he declared his lack of confidence in him.

Labour MPs are angry at Mr Corbyn for a perceived lacklustre campaign on the EU referendum, which they believe contributed towards the country voting for the UK to leave the EU on Thursday.

In a statement, Mr Lewis, MP for Bury South, who wants to become Mayor of Greater Manchester next year, said: "Unfortunately, it is clear Jeremy Corbyn cannot lead us back to Government and there is a real risk we will suffer a worse election result than in 2015.

"Having taken sounding from Labour members and Councillors in Greater Manchester this weekend I feel I have a duty to stand up and be counted. So today I have written to Jeremy and asked him to resign ahead of this weeks no confidence vote.

I have been loyal to Jeremy since he became leader.

He added: "However, those who most need a Labour Government require that at the very least we achieve an improvement on the 2015 result at an election now likely to take place sooner rather than later. It is for this reason new leadership has become an urgent necessity."

Mr Corbyn has said he is going nowhere but it is thought there will be further shadow cabinet resignations throughout the day.