A LABOUR MP has been criticised for calling colleagues “c***s” after they called for leader Jeremy Corbyn to resign.

Several MPs - including Hove’s Peter Kyle - have called on the Labour leader to quit after the party suffered their worst electoral performance since 1935.

But leftwinger Lloyd Russell-Moyle accused them of acting out of ulterior motives.

The Brighton Kemptown MP instead claimed Labour lost the election because the party didn’t fight hard enough.

Mr Russell-Moyle declared: “Fighting spirit is what we need. It’s what we lacked in the election.”

The remarks came in an exchange with a Labour colleague on Facebook messenger, which was leaked to The Sun.

Asked by the colleague why he wasn’t joining calls for Mr Corbyn to resign, Mr Russell-Moyle claimed: “Because I’m not a c*** like those calling for his immediate resignation.”

The MP added: “He’s agreed to go and will arrange a timetable to go quickly.”

People weren’t happy with the remarks. One said on Twitter: “Lloyd Russell-Moyle is as ineffectual an MP with Burgon levels of bovine stupidity as you’ll find.”

Another said: “Lloyd Russell-Moyle is an idiot, he shouldn’t be allowed to represent us.”

But one said: “Very happy with the work being done by Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who was also superb throughout the campaign.”

Defending his behaviour, Mr Russell-Moyle told The Argus: “It was a private conversation with a former member of the Labour Party.

“He is toxic, breaching confidence for a hit here or there and is not fit to return.”

Jeremy Corbyn told MPs on Tuesday that he “took responsibility” for Labour’s worst electoral performance, in terms of seats won, since 1935.

Mr Corbyn has said he will stand down as Labour leader “early next year”.

But he was criticised to his face by some Labour colleagues, with former MP Mary Creagh saying the lack of a personal apology showed he was a “man without honour and without shame”.

Following Thursday’s General Election result, Hove and Portslade MP Peter Kyle said Corbyn and the Labour Party must “take ownership of this failure” rather than “blaming Brexit” following a crushing defeat to the Conservative party.

This week, Emily Thornberry became the first MP to officially put herself forward to replace Mr Corbyn as Labour leader.

In an article for the Guardian, she said she has already “pummelled” Boris Johnson across the despatch box and said she would be able to exploit the prime minister’s failings.

Labour ended up with 59 fewer MPs than two years ago.

Its share of the vote, at 32.2 per cent, was higher than in either its 2010 or 2015 defeats, it was a long way from the 41.9 per cent it secured under Mr Corbyn in 2017.