Labour Faces Brexit Split

 

Britain’s main opposition Labour Party will attempt to bridge its Brexit divisions during a tumultuous debate at its annual conference on Tuesday, which could ultimately decide the fate of the government’s plans to leave the EU.

Labour’s Brexit secretary Keir Starmer will tell delegates that it “looks increasingly likely” that the party will vote against any deal Prime Minister Theresa May strikes with the European Union.

Such a move would radically increase the risk that Britain leaves the EU in March next year without any agreement at all, throwing the whole process, and the government itself, into chaos.

“In ordinary circumstances, if that happened, a general election ought to follow,” Starmer told BBC radio ahead of his conference speech in Liverpool, northwest England.

If not, one of the options would be a second Brexit vote, he added.

However, the terms on which this could be held have been the source of confusion within the party, reflecting its splits over the issue.

Many young members oppose leaving the EU, carrying bags reading “Love Corbyn, Hate Brexit” at the gathering in Liverpool, but older, working-class Labour voters are in favor.

If Labour rejected May’s deal, the weakened prime minister would need the backing of almost all her Conservative MPs to get over the line, which seems unlikely given her own party’s ideological splits.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has so far played a canny game by allowing the debate to tie the government in knots while remaining ambiguous, but the time is nearing to reveal his hand.

“It’s decision time and we need to nail our colors to the mast,” Emily Wallace, chair of the Vauxhall Labour party, told AFP.

Her delegation plans to vote in favor of a motion on Tuesday supporting “all options remaining on the table”, including the possibility of a second referendum.

The motion’s wording was agreed on Monday after five hours of intense talks.

But it disappointed many party members, who had hoped for a firm commitment to a second vote on a final Brexit deal, including the option to remain in the EU.

Remain on the table

Pro-EU activists were dealt another blow when shadow finance minister John McDonnell — Corbyn’s right-hand man — on Tuesday said any second vote should not include the choice of whether or not to stay in the EU.

Starmer contradicted him, saying the motion “clearly keeps remain on the table”, while pro-EU MP Stephen Kinnock told AFP he was “baffled” by the comments.

Corbyn has largely masked the party’s splits through vague messaging, instead focusing on unifying domestic issues.

However, with Brexit negotiations entering the final phase, he is under pressure to plot a clear path, a daunting task given that polls show the country is still more or less divided on Brexit — although a narrow majority might now support staying in the EU.

The divisions cut across party loyalties, with Labour’s traditional leftwing working-class constituencies voting largely to leave.

“The EU was a social democratic movement, and it was a good idea, but after the financial crash, it decided to bail out the banks at the expense of the people,” Brexit supporter Les Thomas told AFP as he protested against a second referendum.

But the centrists who took charge when Tony Blair became party leader in 1994 strongly favour the EU, and despite being sidelined by Corbyn’s election, they comprise a large rump of the party’s MPs.

Ultimate prize beckons

The most complex set of voters are the new members, many young, who were attracted to Corbyn’s social justice agenda, but who tend to not share his historic suspicion of the EU and its free-trade policies.

The stakes couldn’t be higher, with a wrong move potentially returning Corbyn to the political sidelines. If he can bridge the gap, the ultimate prize beckons.

Speaking at a pro-EU demonstration at the conference, Claire Hallett, 60, said Corbyn was in “a terribly difficult position” but should come out firmly against Brexit.

“He really needs to stand up and be clear. He will get a load of support from people who are not natural Labour voters,” said Hallett, who runs a holiday cottage business in Wales and attended the rally with her dog Desmond dressed in an EU flag.

“If Jeremy Corbyn were to come out and support a second referendum, and they had a snap election next month, I think they would win.”

 

AFP