Corbyn apologizes for party’s overwhelming defeat in UK elections

U.K. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn apologized to supporters after the Conservative Party’s overwhelming win in last week’s election. 

“I wanted to unite the country that I love, but I’m sorry that we came up short and I take my responsibility for it,” Corbyn wrote in a letter published Sunday in the Sunday Mirror newspaper.

The Conservative Party won 365 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons. Labour won 203 seats.  

Corbyn said his party will learn from its defeat by listening to working-class communities where Labour lost support. 

Leaders within the party had reportedly blamed Corbyn’s leadership for the loss, according to the BBC. 

Corbyn has announced he will step down as Labour’s leader. 

“Millions of people saw in our manifesto a better future for themselves and their communities,” he wrote on Sunday. 

“But despite our best efforts, this election was ultimately about Brexit. The Tory campaign, amplified by most of the media, managed to persuade many that only Boris Johnson could ‘get Brexit done,’” Corbyn continued.

Initial discussions will take place next week to come up with a timetable for electing a new Labour leader, according to the BBC.