Corbyn’s Brexit silence angers Labour MPS

FURIOUS Labour MPS have threatened to rebel against Jeremy Corbyn amid claims he is refusing to speak up in favour of a soft Brexit because he stands to gain politically from Theresa May’s failure.

The Labour leader reportedly blocked his spokesman from talking to the media after the Prime Minister failed to win agreement in Brussels to move on to trade talks.

Now MPS are demanding Mr Corbyn comes out in support of staying in the customs union and have warned they will rebel against the party’s position in a Commons vote on the matter early next year if he refuses.

The party is split on the issue, with the shadow Brexit secretary keeping customs union membership on the table, the shadow trade secretary warning it would be a “disaster” and the shadow chancellor ruling out single market membership after transition while the deputy leader has suggested Labour should back it.

So far, Mr Corbyn has refused to commit to trying to remain in the customs union after the transitional period is over, with a spokesman only suggesting options shouldn’t be swept off the table. One senior remain-backer told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Corbyn and John Mcdonnell, his shadow chancellor, “don’t care” about Brexit. They said: “Mcdonnell and Corbyn are not natural pro-europeans, they don’t care. They’re only interested in the politics of Brexit and they see everything through the prism of how do we get into No 10.”

Labour sources believe Mr Corbyn and Mr Mcdonnell want a hard Brexit because it helps feed their anti-capitalist narrative.