Left-wing Labour MP Grahame Morris has replaced Jon Trickett as shadow communities secretary as leader Jeremy Corbyn was forced to reshuffle his top team.

Mr Trickett was appointed shadow Lord President and elections director, leaving a vacancy for Mr Morris.

Mr Morris has offered his support to Mr Corbyn, tweeting: 'I am solid as a rock for @jeremycorbyn a thoroughly decent and principled Leader. I respect our members mandate'.

Mr Corbyn's leadership has been rocked by the mass resignations of dozens of frontbench shadow ministers, including more than half the shadow cabinet.

Jon Trickett, one of Mr Corbyn's most senior backers in the parliamentary Labour Party, told the BBC: ‘If they want to have a contest, let them say who their candidate is, let them say what their programme for Britain is and let's have a leadership contest and let's test the argument.’

He said Mr Corbyn ‘will be on the ballot paper’ in any leadership contest.

‘There are now hundreds of thousands of party members and I think... let's see what they think about the future.’

Yesterday Croydon North MP and former leader of Lambeth LBC, Steve Reed, warned Labour would face ‘electoral annihilation’ if Mr Corbyn refused to go. 

In a letter to Mr Corbyn, Mr Reed said he no longer believed Labour could win a general election while Mr Corbyn remained leader. 

He said he agreed with Mr Corbyn on several points, including the need for further devolution and 'putting real power in the hands of people and communities' but added it was not possible if the party remained in opposition.