Corbyn walks out of meeting as May gives up on Brexiteer votes
Jeremy Corbyn walked out of a meeting with Theresa May last night because former Labour members of the Independent Group were also invited.
Opposition leaders were invited to a briefing by the Prime Minister on her request for a delay to Brexit, ahead of a Brussels summit to make the case to EU leaders.
However, the Labour leader refused to take part because Chuka Umunna, the spokesman of the Independent Group of former Labour and Tory defectors, was there.
It was claimed that Mr Corbyn said the former Labour MP for Streatham was “not a proper party leader”, before walking out of the meeting in the Commons.
“I think it is extraordinary for the leader of the Opposition to behave in this juvenile way,” Mr Umunna said.
A Labour spokesman said: “It was not the meeting that had been agreed and the terms were broken. Downing Street is in such chaos that they were unable to manage their proposed meeting.”
The spokesman said talks were being held about a bilateral meeting.
The Westminster leaders of the SNP, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Greens also took part. SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said he told the Prime Minister to “change course or resign”.
Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable said “contributor after contributor in our meeting made it clear that a People’s Vote is the only way she
can resuscitate the deal”. The Prime Minister chose to meet with opposition leaders rather than address a regular meeting of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, amid growing calls from her own MPS for her to quit. Instead, 20 backbench Tories were invited to speak with her separately.
Tory MP James Gray, who has committed to backing the Prime Minister’s deal after voting against it twice, last night called on Mrs May to resign, saying: “She must know she’s the least popular prime minister in the history of prime ministers.”
Having failed to win over remaining opponents in the Brexiteer European Research Group, or the government’s one-time DUP allies, Mrs May is likely to turn her focus to Labour MPS who want to avoid a no-deal Brexit, or who represent Leave-voting areas.
One alternative being considered is a proposal from the Labour MPS Lisa Nandy and Gareth Snell, giving the Commons a formal role in approving strategy for trade talks with the EU.