Brexit: Labour in chaos over election bid by Boris Johnson

Desopitre dissent in his party, Jeremy Corbyn has kept Boris Johnson’s hopes for an early election alive.

Jeremy Corbyn with shadow Home Secretary Dianne Abbott (2L) in parliament. Picture: AFP

Jeremy Corbyn was keeping alive Boris Johnson’s hopes of an early general election despite massive pressure on Thursday from his own party.

Mr Corbyn said that no final decision had been taken on the prime minister’s proposal, in which he offered MPs more time to pass his Brexit deal in return for a general election.

However, just moments earlier Labour’s chief whip had sent the party’s MPs instructions that they should abstain on Monday’s vote — preventing Mr Johnson from securing a poll.

The confusion highlighted divisions within Mr Corbyn’s inner circle, who want an election, and the bulk of his MPs, including many in his shadow cabinet, who believe that a winter election before Brexit is resolved would be a disastrous mistake.

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To add further uncertainty, the EU indicated that it would delay a decision over the length of any Brexit extension until next week. It is thought that the French are demanding clarity over whether an election will take place.

Mr Johnson said that a further Brexit delay would “cause misery to millions” and that politicians had a “duty to end this nightmare”, in a letter to Mr Corbyn laying out his offer. If MPs voted for an election on December 12, Mr Johnson said, he would allow parliament more time to deal with legislation enacting the revised agreement with the EU.

Downing Street said later that Mr Johnson would in effect go on strike by refusing to table all but the most vital legislation if MPs rejected­ the offer on Monday. The Treasury cancelled a budget due on November 6. “We would campaign day after day for the people of this country to be released from the subjection of a parliament that has outlived its usefulness,” Mr Johnson told the BBC.

His offer helped to temporarily unite the Tories around their leader, as well as to mask a retreat from his “do or die” pledge to take Britain­ out of the EU by October 31. The EU is expected to approve a Brexit delay until January 31 under the terms laid down in the Benn act.

Northern Ireland Secretary Julian­ Smith had been among cabinet ministers pressing Mr Johnson to allow parliament more time to pass the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. Although it was given approval at second reading, MPs rejected a restricted timetable. Labour had been prepared to agree a longer timetable for the legislation — an offer that Mr Johnson accepted late on Thursday, with the condition that it be passed in time for a dissolution of parliament on November 7 to allow an election on December 12.

Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, 434 MPs must vote for an election before the five-year deadline. The Conservatives, with 288 MPs, are well short of the total needed.

The Democratic Unionist Pary, Scottish National Party and Liberal Democrats all said that they would not vote with the Tories on Monday. Mr Johnson must hope that Mr Corbyn ignores internal pressure and seeks to whip his MPs to vote for an election many believe to be harmful.

Labour chief whip Nick Brown thought that he had secured a commitment from Mr Corbyn that Labour MPs would be allowed­ to abstain or would be whipped against the election motion­ after it was formally announced by Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg in the Common­s. A formal notice to that effect was sent to Labour MPs shortly after 7.35pm on Thursday.

Minutes later, however, Mr Corbyn left open the possibility that he could back an election, depending­ on the Brexit extension offered by the EU.

Pressed on whether there was a chance he could back an election on Monday, he replied: “The principle is: take no-deal off the table, EU answer (on an extension) tomorro­w (Saturday), then we can decide.” The EU later said that the decision on an extension would not be made on Friday.

Many of Mr Corbyn’s supporters were pressing him to take on the Tory challenge. Frontbencher Jon Trickett wrote on Twitter: “Let’s be absolutely clear. Getting rid of this awful Tory government is our top priority. Our troops are ready, the party is fully prepared. Let’s get at them!!”

Mr Johnson’s offer was finalised at a political cabinet at which some ministers raised concerns at the prospect of the first December election since 1923. Some Tories also fear a potentially divisive and negative campaign at a time of unpreced­ented political volatility.

The Times