Editorial Comment
John Mcdonnell is a self-proclaimed Marxist who seeks to become Chancellor of the Exchequer in the most Left-wing government this country will have seen. Moreover, judging by his remarks in Edinburgh yesterday, he hopes to do this without an election. As the great Brexit saga comes to a head over the next few weeks, the prospect will arise of a no-confidence motion being tabled in the Government, especially if Boris Johnson has failed to negotiate a new deal with the EU and intends that the UK should leave without one.
This whole process will be governed by a relatively new piece of legislation, the Fixed-term Parliaments Act (FTPA), introduced in 2011 by the Coalition to protect the arrangement between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems. Among the many botched pieces of constitutional reform over the past 25 years, the FTPA is among the worst.
If the Commons passes a vote of no confidence in the Government, there are 14 days in which a new administration can be formed. However, the legislation is silent on the mechanics for bringing this about. Mr Mcdonnell said that in these circumstances Labour would argue it can form a majority “and we expect others to come behind us to do that”. Part of this would involve Labour promising to hold a second EU referendum to get Lib Dem support. Mr Mcdonnell is also wooing the SNP with a pledge to allow another independence referendum, unilaterally reversing party policy.
Although the Conservatives do not have an overall majority and govern with the support of the DUP, they have 311 seats to Labour’s 241. For Mr Mcdonnell to seize the reins of power without first putting his party’s hard-left prospectus to the voters would be outrageous. The most recent opinion polls put support for Labour at 18 per cent.
However, for Labour to form a government it would have to win a motion of confidence at the end of the 14 days. That would require a number of Tories to back them, which would mean putting Jeremy Corbyn into No 10 – surely a step too far, however much they dislike a no-deal Brexit.
The danger is that the Queen will be drawn into these shenanigans. Mr Mcdonnell said he would not want this, “but I would be sending Jeremy Corbyn in a cab to Buckingham Palace to say we’re taking over”. Her Majesty should send him packing and tell him to come back when he has won an election.