Anger at Corbyn’s Brexit ‘stitch-up’ in conference chaos
JEREMY Corbyn was accused of a ‘stitch-up’ over Labour’s Brexit policy yesterday after one of his lieutenants appeared to change the course of a vital vote.
Amid chaotic scenes at the party’s conference, general secretary Jennie Formby seemed to overrule the chairman of Labour’s ruling body to prevent a defeat for the leader.
It means Labour will go into the next general election sitting on the fence over Brexit. Had Mr Corbyn not survived the revolt by party activists, Labour would have become a Remain-backing party.
The conference voted against deciding whether to back Leave or Remain in another referendum until after a general election. But there was immediate uproar from delegates who wanted Mr Corbyn to unequivocally support staying in the EU.
In confusing scenes, Wendy Nichols, chairman of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), initially suggested those who had put forward a motion for Labour to campaign ‘enthusiastically’ for Remain had won the vote.
Despite being close, it was decided by a simple show of hands.
But she then appeared to change her position after Miss Formby, intervened. Miss Nichols said: ‘I thought it was one way and Jennie said something else. That was lost.’ As a number of members called for the issue to be moved to a formal vote using ballot boxes, Miss Nichols could be overheard saying: ‘They are calling for a card vote. There is enough of them on their feet, is there not?’
But she then said the decision would stand without a further vote.
Labour MP Owen Smith told The Daily Telegraph it was ‘shameful for our Lexit [Left-wing version of Brexit] leadership to stitch it up without a proper vote’.
Earlier, Mr Corbyn appeared to be showing the strain as one of his biggest union backers joined Shadow Cabinet members in criticising his plan to stay neutral. The Labour leader launched an extraordinary tirade at reporters as they questioned whether he was losing authority on Brexit.
Mr Corbyn – who used to refer to himself as ‘ Monsieur Zen’ – shouted at a media scrum as they jostled to ask questions, saying: ‘This is our conference, these are our stalls... your behaviour is totally unacceptable.’
Yesterday he urged members at Labour’s annual conference in Brighton to back a plan for him to go into a general election promising a second referendum, but without saying which side he would
‘An abdication of leadership’
campaign for. Instead, he proposed that after a Corbyn-led government has attempted to negotiate a new Brexit deal with Brussels, members should take the decision for him at a special conference. That conference would decide whether to back Remain or the Labour-negotiated deal. But Unison, which is one of the country’s biggest unions, broke ranks to declare it would oppose the leader’s Brexit fudge and vote for him to back Remain immediately.
Usdaw and TSSA, two other smaller unions, joined the revolt. Mr Corbyn’s proposal was emailed round the NEC and endorsed without a formal meeting on Saturday, despite opposition from some members. Jon Lansman, boss of the Corbyn-supporting Momentum campaign group and an NEC member, yesterday said: ‘There was no meeting, no discussion, no consultation with the membership.
‘On one of the biggest issues of the day, this is a travesty. Across the membership there are many different views on Brexit, and on conference floor members should feel free to vote with their conscience.’
Last night SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘Labour rejects a clear proRemain position and instead stays firmly perched on the Brexit fence. An abdication of leadership.’
But shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘I think most people will realise that the Labour Party membership is so overwhelmingly in favour of Remain, it’s obvious where this will end up.’