Tag: Barry Gardiner

Jeremy Corbyn will whip Labour MPs to support a Brexit referendum in the indicative votes – but could face a wave of resignations from frontbenchers determined not to back it. One shadow minister warned Labour would face “a very significant rebellion” if it tried to force MPs to back the motion, and another said: “If we whip for it, we won’t have a shadow cabinet by the end of the day.” The motion, tabled by Dame Margaret Beckett, suggests parliament should not ratify any Brexit deal “unless and until” it has been approved in a “confirmatory public vote”. Gardiner also suggested Labour was concerned that the motion could suggest the party would allow Theresa May’s deal to pass if it led to a referendum. “To put that up as the only alternative in a public vote and say we will let it go through looks as though you believe that, at the end of it, remain would be the result. “Our policy is clearly that we would support a public vote to stop no deal or to stop a bad deal, but not that we would allow a bad deal as long as the public had the opportunity to reject Brexit altogether.” He said Labour could not be portrayed as a party that wanted remain at any price. “The Labour party is not a remain party now. Beckett said she had been led to believe Labour would support plans for a confirmatory referendum; and the Guardian understands scores of MPs met in parliament later, to demand that the party whip for it. Read more McDonnell said Gardiner’s comments were “exactly in line with party policy” and that the decision would be made on whether to whip the Beckett motion after the Speaker, John Bercow, has selected the motions for debate. Asked whether he agreed with Gardiner that Labour was not a remain party, he said: “We had to accept in our manifesto respect for the referendum result. On the floor of the House of Commons there could be a coalition around that.” Corbyn’s spokesman later confirmed the party would whip for Beckett’s “confirmatory public vote” option – as well as the one put forward by Gareth Snell and Ken Clarke, calling for a customs union, and the one setting out Labour’s own Brexit policy.