Corbyn ‘wants Boris’s deal to put him out of Brexit misery’
LABOUR’S Brexit civil war dramatically escalated last night amid claims Jeremy Corbyn wants to lose a new crunch vote on Boris Johnson’s deal even as ‘real leader’ John McDonnell starred at a mass rally for a second referendum.
Sources insist Mr Corbyn privately wants to be ‘put out of his misery’ over Brexit because the party’s ambiguous stance is ‘killing’ support among its grassroots.
The Opposition leader has condemned Mr Johnson’s new deal and says he will whip his MPs to vote against it when it is put to a new meaningful vote, which could be as early as tomorrow.
But senior figures claim that his stance is ‘all for show’ because he is a lifelong Brexiteer whose ‘vacillations’ are splitting his pro-Remain party from top to bottom.
They say Mr Corbyn privately believes that his party – trailing the Tories in the polls – would be revived if only he could concentrate on domestic policy such as the NHS and housing.
A source said: ‘Brexit has been a complete nightmare for Jeremy – he is a Brexiteer leading a largely proRemain party. The contortions have been agonising. He thinks if he can just get back to core Labour values and on to issues where the party’s traditionally strong, he can eat into Boris’s poll lead.’
The claims surfaced just as the gulf between Mr Corbyn and Shadow Chancellor Mr McDonnell appeared to widen over backing a second referendum rather than insisting first on a General Election, the latter being party policy.
Mr McDonnell, accused last week of now being the ‘ real Labour leader’, appeared alongside fellow frontbencher Diane Abbott at a rally in London for the People’s Vote campaign to force a second poll.
Speaking to jubilant crowds after MPs voted to delay approval for Mr Johnson’s deal, Mr McDonnell declared: ‘We cannot support this deal. It is now time to revert to the fundamental principle that underlies our democracy. Let our people decide. Let democracy r ei gn once again.’ Shadow Home Secretary Ms Abbott said: ‘I am here to support this rally for a People’s Vote. I am a Remainer, my constituency is a solid Remain constituency. I have come from defeating Boris and his terrible deal.’
And arch-Remainer and ex-Tory MP Dominic Grieve, who is cochairman of the People’s Vote political committee, said: ‘We could hear you in the chamber. This is a pivotal point in our history, we know we are close to a People’s Vote.’
One senior Labour MP said last night: ‘It’s pretty clear what’s going on here. McDonnell and Abbott appearing at the second referendum fest is another nail in the coffin for Corbyn’s insistence that we must have an Election first.’
However, some Labour MPs that the party could haemorrhage seats in an early Election, with some saying Mr Corbyn’s insistence on an Election is ‘plain bonkers’.
In a further split, Corbyn critic Jess Phillips is being touted as the ‘face of Remain’ in a second referendum campaign. The Mail on Sunday understands t hat private polling for one pro-second referendum group has revealed that the Birmingham MP, alongside former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, would be the best person to front the campaign.
Ms Phillips said last week that she might stand to be Labour leader if Mr Corbyn stood down, amid reports that the ‘tired’ Labour leader was preparing to stand aside.
Last night a Labour spokesman dismissed suggestions Mr Corbyn wanted to lose the Brexit deal vote as ‘nonsense’. He said: ‘Jeremy has argued forcefully in Parliament and interviews that Johnson’s selloff deal is deeply damaging.’