Jeremy Corbyn was most ‘smeared and vilified’ politician ever but his ideology will live on, his sons say

‘Continue the fight,’ brothers urge supporters – claiming their father produced best manifesto country has ever seen

Jeremy Corbyn’s sons have claimed their father is the most unfairly “smeared and vilified” politician ever, and urged his supporters to continue arguing for his ideas after he steps down as Labour leader.

With the party’s post-election succession battle well under way, the message from Mr Corbyn’s family members to “continue the fight” will be viewed as a call for Labour to keep his radical left-wing policies in place.

In a message posted on Twitter by Tommy Corbyn with his brothers, Seb and Benjamin, they defended their father as “honest, humble and good-natured” but forced to endure “the most despicable attacks filled with hatred”.

“He took on an entire establishment. This meant the attacks from all sides intensified and became even more poisonous while he was leader. We’ve never known a politician to be smeared and vilified so much,” they said.

Despite Mr Corbyn leading the Labour party to its worst general election defeat in more than 80 years, the three sons claimed he had produced “the most wonderful manifesto this country has ever seen”.

The brothers added: “His unbelievably broad shoulders and incredibly thick skin endured all of this so that we could all live in the hope of a world free of racism or hunger. The man led with a strength difficult to quantify.”

Despite the rejection of his vision by voters, they insisted that its time would come.

“To assume that the ideologies he stands for are now outdated is so wrong. In the coming years we will see that they are more important than ever,” they said. “From the three proudest sons on the planet, please continue the fight.”

Mr Corbyn indicated he will quit in “the early part of next year” and said it would be up to the National Executive Committee to decide how the appointment of an interim chief and any leadership election process will work.

The former Labour home secretary David Blunkett has blamed the party’s devastating defeat on Mr Corbyn and his “ultra-left wing sect of losers”. He issued a call for trade unions and MPs to lead a revolt to force Jeremy Corbyn out and install an interim leader as soon as possible.

Several former Labour MPs who lost their seats in the election also criticised Mr Corbyn’s leadership and the party’s alienation of its northern voters for the loss.

Former Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme “the biggest factor was obviously the unpopularity of Jeremy Corbyn as the leader”, adding: “The fact of the matter is that Jeremy Corbyn failed as a communicator, whatever his good personal qualities, and he undoubtedly has good personal qualities – he failed as a communicator.”

Labour MP Anna Turley said Mr Corbyn was “absolutely” more of a reason than Brexit for her constituents voting for another party.