Sunday, June 30, 2019
Labour divisions over Brexit exposed
The Independent says that divisions in Labour over Brexit have exploded into public as allies of Jeremy Corbyn clashed over the party's position:
John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said Labour should "move now" to back a Final Say vote in all circumstances but Len McCluskey, leader of the Unite trade union, said the party should focus on delivering Brexit.
Mr McCluskey reportedly refused to support a policy change when Jeremy Corbyn met trade union leaders last week to propose that Labour support a referendum on any deal that is passed by parliament. The delay prompted fury anger among Labour MPs and members, the majority of whom back another public poll.
The union leader told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that there was no need to rush to change the party's current official position, which is to negotiate its own Brexit deal.
Insisting that Mr Corbyn would not be "bullied" into changing his stance, Mr McCluskey said: "The reality at the moment is that there's a lot of debate taking place. After the EU election, I appealed to people to calm down. There seems to be a panic to rush to establish a different position to the one the Labour Party has had for a cup of year now, which is respecting the 2016 referendum and trying to negotiate a deal that will unite the nation."
He added: "We have a policy that nothing should be taken off the table, including Labour's alternative, which is to get a Brexit that respects the result of the referendum."
Suggesting that any decision could be delayed until the party's annual conference in September, he said: "There is no rush to do anything. We've got a policy conference coming up in 12 weeks."
But Mr McDonnell said he was frustrated at the delay in fully backing another referendum. He admitted that he had expected to be announced last week but said trade union leaders had asked for "more time".
He said: "What I've been trying to say is that we need to move now and Jeremy said a month ago that we're going to put this issue back to the people."
None of this helps Labour of course, but the big picture is that while the official opposition continue to squabble amongst themselves in this way, and fail to adopt a clear position, Boris Johnson and his supporters in the Tory party continue to propel us towards a no-deal exit.
If that happens and the UK economy crashes as a result, Labour will bear the blame just as much as the European Research Group.
John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said Labour should "move now" to back a Final Say vote in all circumstances but Len McCluskey, leader of the Unite trade union, said the party should focus on delivering Brexit.
Mr McCluskey reportedly refused to support a policy change when Jeremy Corbyn met trade union leaders last week to propose that Labour support a referendum on any deal that is passed by parliament. The delay prompted fury anger among Labour MPs and members, the majority of whom back another public poll.
The union leader told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that there was no need to rush to change the party's current official position, which is to negotiate its own Brexit deal.
Insisting that Mr Corbyn would not be "bullied" into changing his stance, Mr McCluskey said: "The reality at the moment is that there's a lot of debate taking place. After the EU election, I appealed to people to calm down. There seems to be a panic to rush to establish a different position to the one the Labour Party has had for a cup of year now, which is respecting the 2016 referendum and trying to negotiate a deal that will unite the nation."
He added: "We have a policy that nothing should be taken off the table, including Labour's alternative, which is to get a Brexit that respects the result of the referendum."
Suggesting that any decision could be delayed until the party's annual conference in September, he said: "There is no rush to do anything. We've got a policy conference coming up in 12 weeks."
But Mr McDonnell said he was frustrated at the delay in fully backing another referendum. He admitted that he had expected to be announced last week but said trade union leaders had asked for "more time".
He said: "What I've been trying to say is that we need to move now and Jeremy said a month ago that we're going to put this issue back to the people."
None of this helps Labour of course, but the big picture is that while the official opposition continue to squabble amongst themselves in this way, and fail to adopt a clear position, Boris Johnson and his supporters in the Tory party continue to propel us towards a no-deal exit.
If that happens and the UK economy crashes as a result, Labour will bear the blame just as much as the European Research Group.
