Trade union survey indicates unease over Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader

The survey sample is small, but Corbyn detractors will see it as proof his support is not assured on the ground Credit: PA

Jeremy Corbyn is under fresh pressure after a poll of members in Britain's largest trade union showed that more than half of those surveyed think the Labour leader should quit.

The poll, seen by ITV News, shows that some 49% of people signed up to Unite think Mr Corbyn should go immediately, while a further 10% believe he should resign before the next general election.

Only 35% said Mr Corbyn should continue to lead the party as the Labour leader heads towards an expected leadership challenge.

According to John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor and a Corbyn ally, that could take place in "the next few days".

  • Of the 775 Unite members polled:

The YouGov poll is small - it has a sample size of just 775 voters from among Unite's 1.4 million members - but Mr Corbyn's opponents will likely declare it proof that his support is not as assured on the ground as he likes to say.

The poll was reportedly not commissioned by Unite.

Len McCluskey, the union's general secretary, was among the first to rally to Mr Corbyn's support as the attempted coup to oust him emerged.

The YouGov poll also shows that few Unite members believe Mr Corbyn would win the next general election - with 20% saying it would be "fairly unlikely" and 49% saying such an outcome was "very unlikely".