Jeremy Corbyn was caught in a fierce power struggle today between shadow cabinet ministers and his close aides as Labour was plunged into civil war over a second EU referendum.
Three Labour heavyweights — deputy leader Tom Watson, shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry and shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer — went on the attack to defend the party’s new policy on a “People’s Vote”, which was agreed after fraught negotiations.
It would see the party backing a second referendum, with the choice on the ballot paper being between a “credible” Leave option and Remain. However, one senior aide to Mr Corbyn briefed that a choice of Theresa May’s “current” deal, which has so far been rejected by Parliament, and Remain would not be reasonable. Another top adviser is said to have sought to oppose the change and Unite union boss Len McCluskey, one of Mr Corbyn’s close allies, has been a leading opponent of a second referendum.
Sir Keir took to the airwaves this morning to try to nail down Labour’s policy. “Last night Jeremy Corbyn and I circulated a briefing to all Labour MPs setting out that a public vote ought to be between the option on the one hand of a credible Leave deal and on the other hand Remain,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“If the Prime Minister’s deal gets through (Parliament), that deal should be subject to the lock of a public vote.”
Sir Keir denied Ms Thornberry “misspoke” when she set out the party’s new position on the referendum last night. Asked if advisers to Mr Corbyn did not agree with the position, Sir Keir added: “You have got elected politicians on your programme, you had Emily Thornberry out last night, setting out what the position is we agreed as the Labour Party.”
At a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party yesterday, Mr Corbyn is said to have repeatedly dodged the question over what should be on a second referendum ballot paper.
Later Ms Thornberry told ITV that she would back Remain over Mrs May’s deal.
However, a Labour spokesman briefed that a choice between Mrs May’s “current” deal, given that it had been rejected by Parliament, and remaining in the EU would be unacceptable, which sparked suggestions that he was contradicting Ms Thornberry.
He said: “It’s clear that would not be a reasonable choice for the country between a deal that has been overwhelmingly rejected in Parliament by the biggest majority in Parliamentary history - putting that as the alternative to remain.”
A Labour source added today: “Obviously if it passes, that’s another matter.
“As things stand, her ‘current deal’ has been rejected, hence the answer. That is entirely consistent with our position as laid down in our 29 January amendment and yesterday’s announcement.”
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Labour MP Alex Sobel suggested on Twitter that the Labour spokesman might be Mr Corbyn’s director of communications Seumas Milne.
But amid the confusion, Ms Thornberry tweeted last night: “I’ve seen some nonsense that I ‘misspoke’ earlier on a public vote. Pretty hard to misspeak identically in 10 interviews, but for clarity: if Theresa May won’t accept our deal, then the public must decide: do we accept whatever deal she gets through, or do we Remain? Got it?”
Mr Watson added: “Whoever briefed that my colleague ‘misspoke’ undermines the sovereignty of the current shadow cabinet.”
Brexit: Leave and Remain supporters gather in London on 29 January
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who told the Standard last week that Labour was “moving” towards a second referendum, is understood to have been key in swaying Mr Corbyn into backing the new Brexit policy. However, Bassetlaw MP John Mann warned that Mr Corbyn risked being ditched by voters over the “absurd” shift.
