Labour will be crushed over Brexit, Corbyn told
MPS revolt against leader’s ‘neutral’ stance as poll shows voters think he should quit
JEREMY CORBYN is facing a full-scale revolt over his Brexit policy after senior party figures warned that Labour would be crushed at the next election if he continues to sit on the fence.
Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, said Labour would lose 30 per cent of its vote if it did not embrace Remain in all circumstances.
As other big names also condemned his lack of leadership over Brexit, Mr Corbyn also struggled to maintain authority within his own office after his “Orwellian” right-hand man drove out the party’s policy chief, who attacked the “blizzard of lies” coming from the leader’s office and said he had lost faith in Mr Corbyn’s ability to win an election.
Meanwhile, a new poll showed the majority of people who voted Labour in the 2017 election now think Mr Corbyn should quit. The Yougov poll, published today, shows that 54 per cent of 2017 Labour voters think Mr Corbyn should stand down. Among all voters, 58 per cent think he should go.
And the Labour leader could be further humiliated today if Labour members reject his Brexit policy when it is put to a vote at the conference in Brighton. Members will also be able to vote today on an opposing motion that explicitly backs Remain.
Mr Corbyn’s motion will state that Labour would hold a second referendum if it won power but would not decide whether it would back Leave or Remain until after the next election.
He was repeatedly warned yesterday his views were not in tune with Labour members. Ms Thornberry said that with the Tories pledging to leave the EU, with or without a deal, and the Liberal Democrats vowing to revoke Article 50, Labour will be squeezed out at the election – expected this year – if it still had no clear position on Brexit.
Comparing Labour’s position to “Indiana Jones when the walls are coming in, or in Star Wars when they are in the crusher”, she said: “Polling does show that we could lose 30 per cent of the Labour vote to the Greens and to the Lib Dems unless we are clear about where we stand on Europe.”
Earlier, she had effectively dared Mr Corbyn to sack her, telling a pro-eu rally not to back a “Labour leave Brexit”.
Len Mccluskey, the Unite union boss and one of Mr Corbyn’s closest allies, said Ms Thornberry should “step aside” if she was not prepared to back her leader. “When we have a policy on Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn makes clear that is the policy, that is what leading members of the shadow cabinet should be arguing for,” he said. “If they find they can’t argue for that, because they feel strongly, then of course they have that right but they should step aside.”
A senior shadow cabinet member suggested Ms Thornberry was gearing up for a potential leadership contest, saying: “I think she calculates we are a Remain party at membership level and if there is to be a leadership contest she hopes to use that to drum up the votes.”
Tom Watson, who survived a farleft attempt to abolish his post of deputy leader, said it was time to “settle once and for all our party position
on Brexit”, adding: “The simple truth is, no matter what anybody says, the Labour Party is a Remain party.”
In a fresh challenge to Mr Corbyn’s authority, he added: “This party, our members, our MPS, will lead that campaign to Remain, because we are the Remain party.”
He was backed by Sadiq Khan, Labour’s London mayor, who told members: “Labour is a Remain party and we need to make this official…. Neutral is simply not an option.”
Mr Corbyn defended his plan to go into a general election without saying if he would campaign to remain in the EU in the referendum he is promising.
His position was approved 16-10 by Labour’s ruling national executive committee yesterday but members could vote it down today in what would be a serious blow to his authority.
Mr Corbyn said: “I will go along with whatever decision the party comes to.”
He also brushed off reports he was on the verge of quitting, calling such suggestions “wishful thinking” by his enemies. He said he was “looking forward” to becoming prime minister and would serve a full term in Downing Street.