Jeremy Corbyn is reportedly facing another plot to succeed him as leader

Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour leadership hit a farcical new low yesterday as reports emerged that ambitious young Corbynista MP Clive Lewis is plotting to succeed him.

Mr Corbyn was branded ‘hapless’ after a protest by veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell brought a human rights speech by the Labour leader to a halt.

And while rising party star Mr Lewis, 45, entered the Commons only at the 2015 General Election, the Shadow Business Secretary is now being touted by supporters as a serious candidate for the leadership.

The farce unfolded as a group led by Tatchell held up banners calling on Mr Corbyn to do more to stop the bombings in Aleppo. But after appearing uncertain how to react or of what his policy on Syria was, the Labour leader could be heard asking Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry, sitting near him: ‘When did we condemn the bombing?’

And Shadow Attorney General Shami Chakrabarti, ennobled by Mr Corbyn, tried to help by advising him: ‘Just let them [the protesters] do this.’

As the banner-holding protesters stood in front of him, Mr Corbyn said: ‘It’s all right, it’s OK.’

Mr Tatchell said: ‘What is happening in Aleppo is a modern-day Guernica. We haven’t heard the leader of the Labour Party speak out enough to demand UK air drops to besieged civilians who are dying in their thousands.’

After speaking to Ms Thornberry, Mr Corbyn responded: ‘Emily has made it clear we think there should be aid given to people in Aleppo. We do think the bombing should end, there should be a ceasefire.’

Mr Tatchell, who stood as a Labour candidate in the 1980s, has previously criticised Mr Corbyn for failing to speak out loudly enough against Russia, which is propping up Syrian President Bashar Assad’s dictatorship.

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell stages a protest calling for aid drops in Syria as Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn makes a speech at the Methodist Central Hall in Westminster

Clive Lewis and Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry at the Labour Conference

He has also criticised the Stop the War Coalition, previously led by Mr Corbyn, for opposing Western military action while failing to protest against the Syrian regime. And one senior Labour MP said: ‘Only a party led by hapless Corbyn could give the impression for several minutes that we didn’t have a policy on ending the bombing of innocent civilians in Syria or he didn’t know what it was.’

Another Labour MP said last night: ‘More and more of us feel that even though he was only re-elected as leader just over three months ago, Corbyn will stand down in 2018 to give a successor a fair chance to bed in before the 2020 General Election.

‘Clive Lewis’s camp are putting his name around as that replacement on the basis that he – or she – will have to come from the Left of the party.’

Norwich South MP Mr Lewis, a former Army reservist, was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet as defence spokesman last summer after a wave of resignations by anti-Corbyn frontbenchers.

A second reshuffle in October then saw him moved over to his current post.