Jeremy Corbyn’s aides ‘trying to bounce Labour into backing election’

brexit countdown_bgCreated with Sketch.

Furious Labour MPs today accused Jeremy Corbyn’s closest aides of a ‘delusional’ bid to force a snap election before Christmas despite huge opposition from within the party.

Backbenchers warned that a hard-Left clique around the leader are determined to agree to Boris Johnson’s dramatic challenge last night.

One claimed Mr Corbyn increasingly resembled a ‘little old man’ who was being told what to say.

The sniping came as Mr Corbyn faces a massive revolt from his own shadow cabinet over the PM’s call for a December 12 election.

Soon after the premier laid down the gauntlet last night, the whips’ office sent out instructions for all MPs to abstain in the crunch vote on Monday.

That would essentially kill off Mr Johnson’s hopes of going to the country, as he needs two-thirds of the Commons to agree.

The orders were apparently agreed at a meeting involving chief whip Nick Brown, Mr Corbyn and other senior shadow ministers.  

However, Mr Corbyn’s aides then insisted the orders had only been ‘provisional’, and no final decision had been taken. 

The veteran left-winger is now desperately playing for time amid warnings that agreeing to the snap poll would tear the party to shreds – with more than half his MPs threatening to revolt.

Backbenchers have warned that a hard-Left clique around Jeremy Corbyn (pictured leaving his London home today) are determined to agree to Boris Johnson’s dramatic challenge

Mr Corbyn is dithering over whether to accept the challenge from Boris Johnson (pictured at a hospital in Milton Keynes today) to a December 12 election to settle the Brexit crisis

In fresh evidence of chaos this morning, the leader’s close ally Diane Abbott branded a pre-Christmas election ‘ludicrous’, and suggested No Deal must be made illegal before Labour allows the PM to go to the country.

But Chancellor Sajid Javid accused the Opposition of ‘constant changing of the goalposts in what they want and don’t want’, saying the ‘zombie’ Parliament cannot continue. 

One senior Labour MP told MailOnline Mr Corbyn’s close aides were trying to ‘bounce’ the party into backing the election.

‘It is not going to happen… the whips were steaming about it,’ they said.

‘He is not in control now. He is like a little old man captured by the group around him. He went out and made that statement, he didn’t seem to understand what he was saying.’

The MP added: ‘We have got Seumas Milne on our side and that b***ard Dominic Cummings on the government side. That is the problem.’ 

Mr Corbyn has adopted a holding position that no decision will be taken until the EU announces how long a delay it will grant to the October 31 Brexit date.

However, the pressure has ratcheted up amid signs the EU will not make its decision until it knows whether MPs will back an election – meaning there is a three-way deadlock between Mr Johnson, Mr Corbyn, and Brussels.

French president Emmanuel Macron is worried that if an election does not take place and Mr Johnson cannot get his deal through the Commons, the three-month extension will be wasted.

Mr Macron’s European affairs minister, Amélie de Montchalin, said last night: ‘We need facts in order to make a decision… We will not deal in political fiction.’

The bewildering manoeuvres came after the PM made a bold bid to force a resolution by offering Parliament more time to scrutinise his Brexit deal, in return for the House of Commons approving a December 12 election date. 

Boris Johnson’s proposed timetable to a December election

Friday October 25: The EU had been expected to reveal the length of Brexit delay it will offer the UK. However, there are signs this will be put off until next week.

Next week: The Government will table a motion under the Fixed Term Parliament Act (FTPA) requesting a general election. No date has to be given but he has suggested December 12.

Monday October 28 – November 6: MPs and peers get ‘all possible time’ to debate and vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill that he halted after being defeated in a vote on Saturday, with the idea being that a deal is signed, sealed and delivered by that day.

November 7: Parliament is dissolved for a five-week general election campaign. Mr Johnson will be hoping that he goes into that campaign with a settled Brexit deal with which to woo weary voters.

December 12: A general election is held. 

He needs Labour votes because two-thirds of the Commons – 434 MPs – has to agree to an early election. 

Mr Johnson has already failed twice to secure sufficient support, as Mr Corbyn argued that the threat of an accidental No Deal was too serious. 

But there are major doubts over whether Mr Corbyn can bring enough MPs with him even if he does back an election. 

In theory, Labour’s 245 MPs should be more than enough to reach the two-thirds threshold, when combined with 288 Tories, 35 SNP and 19 Lib Dems.

But shadow cabinet ministers are doubtful that 100 of the Commons colleagues will endorse going to the country. A recent meeting of the Parliamentary party was said to be ‘unanimous’ in saying that a second referendum must come before an election.

The PM has warned that the government will effectively go on strike if opposition parties deny the call for a national ballot.

The Budget, slated for November 6, has been cancelled as in theory Parliament would be dissolved for the campaign by then. 

‘Nothing will come before Parliament but the bare minimum,’ a No10 source said.

‘We will pursue a general election every day from then onwards and do everything we can to get it.’

The source said this would include the scrapping of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which is required to ratify the deal Mr Johnson has thrashed out with the EU.

Mr Johnson was compelled to ask for a delay to his ‘do or die’ Brexit date of October 31 by the Benn Act, after he failed to get approval for his 72-hour timetable for passing the legislation to implement the deal.

Mr Johnson said it would be ‘morally incredible’ if opposition MPs refused to go along with his plan now.

EU council president Donald Tusk is trying to coordinate a joint position among European leaders on how long Brexit should be delayed

EU council president Donald Tusk is trying to coordinate a joint position among European leaders on how long Brexit should be delayed 

Emmanuel Macron has been pushing for a shorter delay than the three months Mr Johnson was forced to ask for on Parliament's behalf

Emmanuel Macron has been pushing for a shorter delay than the three months Mr Johnson was forced to ask for on Parliament’s behalf

Under his new plan, Parliament would get until November 6 to debate and vote on his deal.

Will Christmas poll be a Turkey? 

Cold weather, nativity plays and booked-up church halls are among the many challenges facing a Christmas election.

Boris Johnson’s plan to go to the polls on December 12 could hinder campaigning and voter turnout due to limited daylight hours and clashes with office parties.

And the snap poll will be a cause for concern for the superstitious among us – as the result will be announced on unlucky Friday 13.

The Tories may also be more likely to suffer from a December election, since the cold disproportionately affects older voter turnout, a key demographic for the party.

The December poll could also cause confusion and delays as officials will be forced to use two different electoral registers to manage voting.

The electoral roll is updated annually on December 1, but polling cards would need to be sent out in November – meaning polling card numbers might not correspond to the new list.

The last Christmas election was called by Stanley Baldwin in 1923, resulting in a hung parliament and eventual defeat for the Tories. 

Then Parliament would be dissolved, paving the way for the first December election since 1923.

Mr Corbyn said last night: ‘Take No Deal off the table and we absolutely support a general election.’ 

Shadow home secretary Ms Abbott said the Labour Party needs an ‘explicit commitment’ that a no-deal scenario is ruled out.

She told the Today programme: ‘The Labour Party is definitely up for an election, but there are two things we need to know.

‘One is what sort of extension the EU is going to give and as you say we won’t know until Monday.’

Ms Abbott said they also want to hear from the Prime Minister that he will take no deal off the table.

‘But be in no doubt, party members, and the party as a whole, is ready for and keen for an election,’ she said.

Ms Abbott said the ‘explicit commitment’ ruling out no deal may mean further legislation in Parliament.

She also said offers from Mr Johnson are ‘not worth the paper they’re written on’.

Ms Abbott added: ‘The December day is a ludicrous day. We’ve not had a general election at Christmas for over a century, and there’s good reasons for that.’  

The SNP, Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru, all roundly refused to give their backing to the Mr Johnson’s plan.

Dominic Grieve, one of the 21 MPs exiled from the Tories by the PM, also said he would not back the election plan, describing to BBC’s Newsnight as a form of ‘blackmail’. 

 

 

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk