CORBYN DUCKS CHANCE
Labour leader accused of running scared of election fight as his allies warn No Deal must be killed off first
JEREMy Corbyn was accused of running scared of a general election last night after Labour suggested it would block one unless a No Deal Brexit had been ruled out.
Publicly, the Labour leader continued to insist yesterday that he wanted a general election to usher in a Labour government to end austerity and ‘invest in our communities’.
But at the same time his party said they would sanction this only if a parliamentary mechanism could be found to prevent Boris Johnson taking the UK out of the EU without an agreement.
After last night’s vote, Mr Corbyn indicated Labour would not vote for an election unless a bill to block No Deal had already been passed. ‘There is no consent in this House to leave the EU without a deal, there is no majority for No Deal in the country,’ he said.
Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, the Prime Minister can call a general election only if two-thirds of MPs vote for one – meaning the Labour leader’s support is needed.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it would be the ‘mother of all U-turns’ if the Labour leader decided not so support an election in the vote, expected today.
And Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Leader of the House, said some opposition MPs were ‘white with fear’ that an election could lead to Mr Corbyn in No 10.
Labour MPs warned their leader not to fall for a ‘trap election’ which would still give Mr Johnson the chance to leave the EU without a deal.
They are concerned that Mr Johnson will end up reneging on his promise to hold the vote on October 15, and would instead move it until after October 31 – denying Parliament the opportunity of preventing No Deal. Others are simply concerned that the Conservatives will win the election, with many Labour MPs losing their seats.
Amid the confusion over Labour’s position, Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge said: ‘I will not be supporting a snap general election because it is nothing more than a trap set by the most untrustworthy PM in living memory.
‘This is just part of Johnson’s ploy to get a No Deal Brexit over the line regardless of the disastrous consequences. We must reject it.’ Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, said: ‘There’s not going to be a general election tomorrow, because we’re not going to vote for it.’
But in another interview, Ms Thornberry said: ‘I’m not sure. We might vote against, we might abstain. It doesn’t matter.’
It has been claimed that Mr Johnson could respond to a defeat on a motion under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act simply by introducing a one-line bill which stated that, notwithstanding the Act, a general election will be held on October 15. That would need only a simple majority to pass, not a two-thirds one.
But now he does not have a majority in the Commons, even with the support of the Democratic Unionist Party, Mr Johnson would find it difficult to get this law passed.
Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Tony Lloyd said: ‘We are not daft enough to see a tactic dictated by PM Johnson which is designed to land us with a No Deal Brexit and to fall for that.
‘Will we fall for Boris Johnson’s trick? No, we won’t.’ Clive Lewis added: ‘For myself and many other Labour colleagues to vote for a general election – the two-thirds majority – we have to know that we have stopped our key priority, which is No Deal Brexit.
‘That means the legislation has to be Boris Johnson-proof. When we’re convinced of that, then I think it’s possible we would support a general election – if it’s in the national interest.’
But Labour MP Wes Streeting called for an election. ‘The Government has lost its majority. A general election is now necessary and inevitable,’ he said.
‘We must prevent these circumstances allowing No Deal in the process. It’s the responsibility of every Member of Parliament who knows the harm a No Deal Brexit would inflict on our country.’
Mr Rees-Mogg said: ‘The Government may at any time be removed by the tried and tested motion of a confidence debate. The fact that Parliament has not been willing to go down this
‘The mother of all U-turns’
route... is because they do not dare have the Leader of the Opposition at the head of the government. They are afraid.
‘They are white with fear because they don’t want the honourable gentleman in 10 Downing street.’
Downing street strongly rejected the claim that the date of the election could be changed. Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: ‘it’s simply not going to happen. it is simply wrong to suggest that the polling date could or would be changed.’