Corbyn allies lash out after threat to deselect MPS who back deal
LABOUR descended into a fierce row over Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal last night as senior party figures threatened to deselect MPS if they voted with the Government today.
Allies of Jeremy Corbyn last night hit out at Jon Lansman, the Momentum founder, after he claimed Labour’s ruling body would block any MP who voted for the deal from standing at the next election.
Mr Lansman was joined by John Mcdonnell, the shadow chancellor, who warned there would be “consequences” and refused to rule out the whip being removed from rebels.
It came as two more Labour MPS, Melanie Onn and Sarah Champion, confirmed they intended to vote for the deal, taking the number expected to back it to 11. The pair, who represent the northern Leave seats Grimsby and Rotherham, said today’s vote could be the last chance to deliver a deal.
Gloria De Piero, the MP for Ashfield, has also signalled she could join them, along with at least three others.
As fears among Europhiles mounted over growing support for the deal, Mr Lansman, a member of Labour’s national executive committee, warned MPS they “cannot and must not vote for it”. In an ultimatum to the 15-strong group of Labour MPS who could back it, he wrote: “Johnson’s deal will be a wrecking ball through the lives and well-being of ordinary people across Britain. If they do [vote for it], the NEC will have no choice but to replace them with a new, socialist Labour candidate at the next election.”
Huda Elmi, another member of the NEC, added: “Any Labour MP that sides with Boris Johnson has no right to stand at the next election.”
Their intervention is understood to have infuriated Mr Corbyn’s inner circle, who made clear to MPS from Leavevoting constituencies that they will not be ousted if they back the deal. The Labour leader dismissed suggestions that they could lose the whip, insisting that he believed in the “power of persuasion rather than the power of threat”.
In a letter to all Labour MPS last night, Mr Corbyn warned against supporting the deal but gave no indication they would face reprisals if they voted for it. Instead, he highlighted that those in “Remain and Leave seats” were “under huge pressure,” adding: “I would urge colleagues to please maintain our values of dignity and respect as we go into this crucial debate tomorrow.”
Last night, a shadow cabinet minister close to the Labour leader described Mr Lansman’s threat as “nonsense”, adding that members of the NEC would ultimately abide by Mr Corbyn’s instructions. “I don’t think it’s made the slightest bit of difference because nobody believes that he [Mr Lansman] has that kind of power,” they said.
Their comments were echoed by a senior Labour MP who intends to back Mr Johnson’s deal, who described Mr Lansman’s threat as “desperate”.
However, Mr Corbyn’s reluctance to petition his MPS to reject the deal was seized upon last night by Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader, who accused him of appearing to give “nods and winks” to get Brexit across the line.
The Scottish First Minister said: “It seems to me that it is possible we have a situation where Labour have an official position of opposing this deal, but are giving nods and winks to the socalled Labour rebels in the hope that there’s enough of them that allow it over the line.
“They’re not in the healthiest of positions anyway, but I think it would be the end for Labour in Scotland if they turn out to be the handmaidens of Boris Johnson’s Brexit.”
Mr Corbyn’s refusal to threaten reprisals also sounded alarm bells among senior frontbenchers, who fear it could result in the deal scraping through.
In a bid to ratchet up the pressure, Mr Mcdonnell yesterday warned that “no MP... who has the true interest of their constituents at heart can allow that to happen.”
In comments that appeared to undermine Mr Corbyn, the shadow chancellor also refused to rule out removing the whip from rebellious Labour MPS, stating that disciplinary action was a matter for the party’s chief whip.
“This is a three-line whip and the chief whip, in the normal way, will determine the consequences for anyone who doesn’t vote for it,” he told the BBC. “I don’t believe there are Labour MPS out there who will not think through the detail of this deal and then when they see the impact, particularly environmental, consumers’ and workers’ rights, will vote for it.”