Corbyn increasingly isolated as leading ally Diane Abbott says she is ‘beginning to worry’ about Labour’s continued failure to get off the fence on a second Brexit referendum
- Shadow home secretary the latest senior figure to apply pressure to Mr Corbyn
- Remainers want him to stop delaying a final decision on a second referendum
- They want Labour to call for another public vote and to campaign for Remain
- Decision had been due Tuesday but Labour leader pushed it back two weeks
- John McDonnell told Mr Corbyn his Brexit policy was a ‘slow-moving car crash’
Jeremy Corbyn is increasingly isolated over Labour’s Brexit policy as Diane Abbott became the latest of his allies to signal her alarm at the party’s continued indecision over a second referendum.
The shadow cabinet had been due to decide whether to formally call for a second Brexit vote and whether to campaign to Remain at a crunch meeting earlier this week.
But a final decision was delayed again as John McDonnell, arguably Mr Corbyn’s most important ally, told the Labour leader it was ‘like a slow-moving car crash’.
Ms Abbott, the shadow home secretary, today said she had ‘supported Labour’s Brexit strategy so far’ but she was ‘beginning to worry’.
The Labour Party hemorrhaged votes at the European Parliament elections in May as many of its pro-EU supporters appeared to jump ship in order to back the ‘Stop Brexit’ Lib Dems.
Many Remain-backing Labour MPs believe the only way to reverse the party’s fortunes is to change tack on Brexit and fully commit to not only giving people another vote on whether to leave the EU but also to campaign to stay.
Such a move would be welcomed by the majority of the party’s members who back Remain.
But it would likely have severe consequences in Labour’s Leave-voting northern heartlands and could trigger a number of frontbench resignations from people like party chairman Ian Lavery who are vehemently opposed to another referendum.
Diane Abbott said today that she was ‘beginning to worry’ about Labour’s Brexit policy
The shadow home secretary is the latest senior figure within the party to openly criticise Labour’s current approach
Jeremy Corbyn has pushed back making a final decision on whether to call for a second referendum by two weeks
Mr Corbyn’s current Brexit policy is to seek a ‘public vote’ – either a general election or a second referendum – on any deal secured by a Conservative government with his preference being a general election.
But many senior figures in the party want him to back a second referendum in all circumstances and to swing in behind Remain.
A final decision is now scheduled to be made in two weeks’ time.
Ms Abbott made her view known as she responded to someone on Twitter who said the were concerned by the party’s continued fence sitting on the issue.
She said: ‘Like you I have supported Labour’s Brexit strategy so far. But like you I am beginning to worry…’
Her comments are likely to raise eyebrows within Mr Corbyn’s inner circle given the fact she has long been one of his closest political allies.
However, one shadow cabinet minister told MailOnline Mr Corbyn ‘is doing exactly the right thing’.
‘It would be madness to take a position on this now,’ they said.
‘We should put off a decision until it needs to be made. We are in opposition, not government.
‘We need to avoid pitting our Remain areas against our Leave heartlands.’
Pro-Remain campaigners said Ms Abbott would not be alone in her concern about Labour’s Brexit policy.
Naomi Smith, the Best for Britain campaign group CEO, said: ‘Labour needs to be the stop Brexit party, it’s as simple as that.
‘Labour members and voters are crying out for the party to oppose Brexit.
‘Diane Abbott won’t be the only Labour MP worrying about the party’s unclear position on this.
‘The party is bleeding remain support and needs to act quickly to stop the rot.’
Labour Remainer Margaret Beckett fired a broadside at Mr Corbyn’s top team yesterday as she claimed they didn’t ‘give a toss’ about what the British people want on Brexit.
Dame Margaret Beckett claimed Mr Corbyn’s inner circle were preventing him from moving Labour to back Remain – a claim denied by his spokesman
The former foreign secretary and People’s Vote backer accused senior figures of even being prepared to support a No Deal Brexit.
Dame Margaret told the BBC: ‘I’m beginning to think that some of them do actually want Britain to leave the EU no matter what.
‘They don’t give a toss about what the British people now want or what Labour members think is in the country’s interests.
‘They just are determined to try and make sure we don’t do anything to impede Britain leaving, if necessary with no deal.’
Mr Corbyn’s spokesman dismissed Dame Margaret’s accusations as ‘laughable’.
He said: ‘I think we’re all familiar with the trope of good kings and their bad advisers.
‘The idea that Jeremy doesn’t make his own decisions or decide what he wants to do is laughable.’
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