SHADOW minister and Bradford MP Imran Hussain has thrown his support behind beleaguered Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Corbyn lost 12 of his shadow cabinet yesterday, and ten junior frontbenchers and shadow ministerial aides have also resigned today, as pressure mounts on him to resign in the aftermath of Britain's vote to leave the EU.

The Labour leader has since attempted to maintain his grip on his position by promoting a series of allies, including a number of MPs from the 2015 intake.

Today, Mr Hussain, who is shadow minister for international development and is considered a strong ally of Mr Corbyn's, said the leader had his "full support", but said he was not expecting a promotion.

He said: "I'm disappointed that colleagues have had to go down the path of resignations at a time when the Conservative Party is in chaos and currently is divided.

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"We need unity, we need a united opposition and Jeremy Corbyn has one of the strongest mandates that any Labour Party leader has had, direct from the membership and I feel that still stands.

"Therefore, he has my full support."

Asked whether he was expecting to step up to one of the positions recently vacated, he said: "I am quite happy where I am. If you look today, the majority of the roles have been filled."

Mr Hussain said Labour had done "very well" in elections it had fought since Mr Corbyn became leader.

He said: "Some of the criticism of him is not well-founded."

The MP for Bradford East said he did not accept criticism that Mr Corbyn had not campaigned strongly enough in favour of Britain remaining in the EU.

He said: "That's unfair. I think this isn't about that."

He said criticism of Mr Corbyn's EU campaign was being used "by people who were always looking for an opportunity".

He added: "I don't think Jeremy Corbyn is going to resign. There is no indication at all that Jeremy Corbyn is resigning and I don't think he should resign."

Former shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry will replace Hilary Benn, who was sacked as shadow foreign secretary in the early hours of yesterday morning.

And Diane Abbott replaces Heidi Alexander, who quit as shadow health secretary - one of the 11 shadow cabinet ministers who resigned in protest.

Other appointments confirmed by Mr Corbyn in his reshuffle were Pat Glass as shadow education secretary, Andy McDonald in the transport brief, Clive Lewis takes defence, Rebecca Long-Bailey will be shadow chief secretary and Kate Osamor is the new shadow development secretary.

The shadow environment, food and rural affairs portfolio has gone to Rachael Maskell, Cat Smith is the shadow voter engagement and youth affairs minister and Dave Anderson becomes shadow Northern Ireland secretary.

In a tough talking statement yesterday night, Mr Corbyn insisted he would fight for his job and contest any leadership challenge.

"I was elected by hundreds of thousands of Labour Party members and supporters with an overwhelming mandate for a different kind of politics," he said.

Anyone who wanted to change the Labour leadership would have to stand in an election "in which I will be a candidate", he vowed.

Sources close to Mr Corbyn confirmed he remained of the view that it would take a leadership election defeat to oust him.