A FORMER Labour candidate for the Reading West seat has joined the calls for Jeremy Corbyn to stand down as the party's leader.

Victoria Groulef was among 57 hopefuls who stood in last year's General Election who have clubbed together calling on the Islington MP to resign from the top position.

It comes as scores of frontbench Labour MPs have stood aside in the fallout from last week's Brexit vote amid claims their leader had mishandled parts of the campaign to remain in the EU.

A letter sent today to party chairman John Cryer stated Labour would "fail" to make it into Number 10 under Mr Corbyn.

Mrs Groulef, who described herself as an instigator in the letter rather than just a signatory, said his leadership "just does not wash" on the doorstep.

Reading Chronicle:

Victoria Groulef missed out last year in her challenge against Alok Sharma in Reading West.

She added: "I think everything has changed in the past year.

"Although Reading had very good local election results, and indeed the referendum, that was not the case nationally.

"I feel that he has not shown the potential required to deliver us a General Election win.

"We are not just a protest vote, we are a political party and we need a leader who shows that.

"Last week I would have said I am not sure he can deliver that - now I can say I know he cannot."

In the letter, which was also signed by Labour candidates locally in Bracknell, Basingstoke, Henley and Maidenhead, the signatories said they needed someone who could be seen as a "credible Prime Minister".

It went on: "We admire the service that Jeremy Corbyn has offered to our Party as leader in the past and his long service as an MP and within the Union movement.

"However we believe we must accept that we cannot achieve out shared ambitions for the future of the United Kingdom without a leader able to command the confidence of the country.

"That is why we believe that the Labour Party must seek a change of leadership."