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Trade union members have lost faith in Jeremy Corbyn and want him to step down as Labour leader before the next election, polling seen by the Mirror reveals.

Union chiefs still backing Mr Corbyn – including Unite’s Len McCluskey and Unison’s Dave Prentis – appear out of step with rank-and-file members.

The polling shows just 32% of Labour-affiliated union members think he should lead the party at the next election, with 58% saying he should quit before the next election and 45% demanding he goes immediately.

Asked how they think he has performed during his 10 months in charge, the figures are even more damning – 63% saying he is doing badly and 76% believing it was unlikely that he would ever be Prime Minister.

It came as union chiefs prepare to play a crucial role at Labour’s NEC meeting that will decide if Mr Corbyn is on the ballot for the leadership contest.

More than a third of NEC members – 12 of the 36 – are trade union reps and could prove crucial in swaying the vote in Mr Corbyn’s favour.

(Image: PA)

Mr McCluskey said the “attempted political lynching” of Mr Corbyn had snowballed into a wrecking operation against the Labour Party , which had temporarily destroyed it as a “parliamentary force.”

He added: “I could not have looked myself in the mirror had this union done anything other than stand by Jeremy.”

Almost two-thirds of those asked - 63% - said he is doing badly as Labour leader.

And more than three-quarters - 76% - said it was unlikely Mr Corbyn will ever be Prime Minister.

In total 1,221 people were polled last Friday and Saturday in the election Data/YouGov poll from Labour’s affiliated trade unions.

Union members 66 Percent of union members who believe Corbyn is doing badly 75 Percent of union members who believe Corbyn unlikely to be PM YouGov poll

The damning verdict comes as trade union chiefs prepare to play a crucial role at Labour’s crunch NEC meeting which will decide if Mr Corbyn is on the ballot for the leadership contest.

More than a third of NEC members - 12 of the 36 - are trade union reps and could prove crucial in swaying the vote in Mr Corbyn’s favour.

Mr McCluskey hit back yesterday as he branded the move to oust Mr Corbyn a “squalid coup”.

He accused Labour of turning inwards with a “cowardly attack” on its leader and he suggested that Labour leadership contender Angela Eagle , who quit the shadow cabinet, had abandoned Tata steel and oil and gas workers “ in their moment of need.”

Speaking at Unite’s policy conference in Brighton, Mr McCluskey said the “attempted political lynching” of Mr Corbyn had “snowballed into a wrecking operation against the Labour Party , which had destroyed it temporarily as a “parliamentary force.”

In a hard-hitting speech he said there was no better time for Labour to present itself as a ‘government-in-waiting.’

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He said Labour should he seizing the opportunity against a background of an early general election looming, a divided Tory party and EU Brexit talks threatening workers’ rights and living standards.

Delegates heard him launch a spirited defence Mr Corbyn as “the democratically -elected leader of the party with an unprecedented mandate.”

Mr Corbyn was described as a man who had always stood by Unite on picket lines, in Parliament and in union campaigns and Mr McCluskey added: ”I could not have looked myself in the mirror had this union done anything other than stand by Jeremy."

Mr McCluskey acknowledged that not all Unite members backed Mr Corbyn, but said that most of the attacks on him had been “deeply unfair.”