Jeremy Corbyn’s problems had begun the day after the EU referendum, when he said in an interview that Article 50 should be triggered immediately. This enraged Labour MPs backing Remain and prompted an attempt to oust him. Corbyn’s supporters believed he was misunderstood. One of his closest allies said, ‘Jeremy came out and said Article 50 will have to be triggered. That’s a statement of fact. That’s what the referendum was about. He wasn’t saying it needed to be triggered right now. It was a wilful misinterpretation. There was a period of mass hysteria after the referendum result.’
