Labour in ‘Election now’ leaf let farce
JEREMY CORBYN was left red-faced last night after Labour delivered leaflets demanding a General Election, despite their leader vowing to block Britain going to the polls.
Last week, Mr Corbyn insisted that his MPs abstain on a vote on whether to trigger a national ballot, despite campaigning regularly for a fresh vote ever since 2017.
One leaflet seen by The Mail on Sunday, delivered in Swindon on Friday evening, read: ‘Boris Johnson was chosen by a handful of Tory MPs and members who got us into this mess in the first place. This is no way to choose a Prime Minister, especially in a time of crisis.
‘We need a General Election now so you can make your own choice about the way forward for Britain.’
The leaflet was distributed by Kate Linnegar, Labour’s official candidate in North Swindon, on Friday and yesterday.
After images of it were shared on social media, Tory campaigners from three other seats reported getting similar deliveries from the opposition party. Since the 2017 General Election, Mr Corbyn has publicly called for a fresh vote at least 35 times. In June he said ‘we must let the people decide our country’s future, through an immediate General Election.’ And in July he held a rally outside Parliament to demand a new vote.
Last week he insisted a new Election would be ‘the democratic way forward’.
However, he is widely expected to vote against an Election again on Monday.
Last night a slew of Tory Ministers and MPs blasted the leaflets. Sports Minister Nigel Adams hit out, saying: ‘The hypocrisy of the pound shop Marxist Jeremy Corbyn is laid bare in this leaflet. We want “a General Election now” they say, then block an Election in Parliament.’
Sharing a picture of the leaflet, former Energy Secretary Claire Perry said: ‘Straight into the recycling bin I feel.’
Tory MP Chris Philp added: ‘This exposes Labour’s flagrant hypocrisy.’
Despite calling for a ‘General Election now’ in her leaflet, last night Mrs Linnegar said: ‘I wouldn’t vote for one until Parliament have ensured that the UK can’t crash out of the EU with a ruinous No Deal.’