Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership faced growing disarray today as more Labour MPs threatened to defy him over Brexit, in a row which has sparked “rage” in the party.
Two Labour whips and another frontbencher signalled they may vote against Article 50. Mr Corbyn has ordered his MPs to back the start of the Brexit process, imposing a three-line whip.
But as the rebellion grew, one of his closest allies, Diane Abbott, appeared to signal some MPs might not be disciplined for voting against the leadership.
Transport spokesman Daniel Zeichner and whips Jeff Smith and Thangam Debbonaire made clear they could resign rather than back Article 50.
Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq quit as shadow education minister yesterday.
Meg Hillier, MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch, said there was “palpable rage” in her constituency party over the Brexit vote.
“My constituency voted 78 per cent to Remain, and while a lot of those people recognise the outcome of the referendum, we just don’t want a blank cheque.
We need a clear steer from the Government about what they are going to do,” she told the BBC.
Shadow home secretary Ms Abbott urged colleagues to back the leader but appeared to signal some rebels might not be disciplined, saying: “The leadership has a lot of sympathy for people in heavily Remain constituencies who find themselves in difficulty.”
But she added that “17 million people voted for Leave, many in some of our poorest areas.
How would it look if a bunch of politicians and commentators in London turned around and said, ‘We know you voted to leave but we are just going to ignore you.’ That would be very undermining of democracy.”
Ms Siddiq said: “I’m standing up for democracy. I represent Hampstead and Kilburn in Westminster, not Westminster in Hampstead and Kilburn.”
Mr Corbyn said: “I say to everyone, unite around the important issues of jobs, security, economy, rights, justice, and we will frame that relationship with Europe in the future outside the EU, but in concert with friends, whether those countries are outside or inside the EU."
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