Labour Party faces chaotic Brexit split

LIVERPOOL: Britain’s main opposition Labour Party was due to attempt to bridge its Brexit divisions during a tumultuous debate at its annual conference yesterday, which could ultimately decide the fate of the government’s plans to leave the European Union (EU).

Labour’s Brexit secretary Keir Starmer will tell delegates that it “looks increasingly likely” that the party will vote against any deal Prime Minister Theresa May strikes with the EU.

Such a move would radically increase the risk that Britain leaves the EU in March next year without any agreement at all, throwing the whole process, and the government itself, into chaos.

“In ordinary circumstances, if that happened, a general election ought to follow,” Mr Starmer told BBC radio ahead of his conference speech in Liverpool, northwest England.

If not, one of options would be a second Brexit vote, he added.

However, the terms on which this could be held have been the source of confusion within the party, reflecting its splits over the issue.

Many young members oppose leaving the EU, carrying bags reading “Love Corbyn, Hate Brexit” at the gathering in Liverpool, but older, working-class Labour voters are in favour.

If Labour rejected Ms May’s deal, the weakened prime minister would need the backing of almost all her Conservative MPs to get over the line, which seems unlikely given her own party’s ideological splits.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has so far played a canny game by allowing the debate to tie the government in knots while remaining ambiguous, but the time is nearing to reveal his hand.

“It’s decision time and we need to nail our colours to the mast,” Emily Wallace, chair of the Vauxhall Labour party, said.

Her delegation planned to vote in favour of a motion yesterday supporting “all options remaining on the table”, including the possibility of a second referendum.

The motion’s wording was agreed on Monday after five hours of intense talks.

But it disappointed many party members, who had hoped for a firm commitment to a second vote on a final Brexit deal, including the option to remain in the EU.

Pro-EU activists were dealt another blow when shadow finance minister John McDonnell yesterday said any second vote should not include the choice of whether or not to stay in the EU.

Mr Starmer contradicted him, saying the motion “clearly keeps remain on the table”, while pro-EU MP Stephen Kinnock said he was “baffled” by the comments.

Mr Corbyn has largely masked the party’s splits through vague messaging, instead focusing on unifying domestic issues.

But with Brexit talks entering the final phase, he is under pressure to plot a clear path, a daunting task since polls show the country is still more or less divided on Brexit — although a narrow majority might now support staying in the EU.

The divisions cut across party loyalties, with Labour’s traditional left-wing workingclass constituencies voting largely to leave.

“The EU was a social democratic movement, and it was a good idea, but after the financial crash, it decided to bail out the banks at the expense of the people,” Brexit supporter Les Thomas said as he protested against a second referendum.

But the centrists who took charge when Tony Blair became party leader in 1994 strongly favour the EU, and despite being sidelined by Mr Corbyn’s election, they comprise a large rump of the party’s MPs.

The most complex set of voters are the new members, many young, who were attracted to Mr Corbyn’s social justice agenda, but who tend to not share his historic suspicion of the EU and its freetrade policies.

The stakes couldn’t be higher, with a wrong move potentially returning Mr Corbyn to the political sidelines. If he can bridge the gap, the ultimate prize beckons.

Speaking at a pro-EU rally at the conference, Claire Hallett, 60, said Mr Corbyn was in “a terribly difficult position” but should come out firmly against Brexit.