Brexit: Corbyn Pressed to Tackle May

Labour MP Stephen Kinnock has challenged his party leader Jeremy Corbyn to call an urgent motion of no confidence in Theresa May to try to topple the Conservative Government over its handling of Brexit and force a new election.

Kinnock (far left) said it was “Labour’s patriotic duty” to try to bring an end to the chaotic “muddle and fudge” of the Tory handling of Brexit.

Corbyn ignored the Welsh backbencher’s call, which came in an article written for the Guardian, with party insiders saying Kinnock was “freelancing” and his views did not reflect the Shadow Cabinet’s thinking.

Kinnock resigned from the shadow ministerial team last year in protest at what he called Corbyn’s “half-hearted and lacklustre” opposition to Brexit but pledged his loyalty after Corbyn’s strong election showing in June and went out of his way in his Guardian article to avoid criticism of Corbyn.

But the 47-year-old moderate Labour MP’s declaration that Labour is “honour bound” to try to bring down May over Brexit was not welcomed by Corbyn supporters, who believe it could strengthen the criticism of Corbyn for “fence-sitting” over Brexit.

Corbyn has insisted that the 52-48% vote for Brexit last year cannot be challenged, and instead has restricted his Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer to criticising the way Brexit is being implemented.

Labour has led in the opinion polls for months and with Brexit rining into growing problems MPs from both sides of Parliament believe Corbyn would have good chance of winning an election.

But Labour strategists believe an attempt to topple May in the House of Commons at this stage of the Brexit negotiations would be doomed to fail because there is no sign that the 10 MPs of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party would end the agreement under which they are propping up her minority Government.

And Tory MPs who are uncomfortable with their party’s willingness to countenance a “hard Brexit” have shown no signs of openly rebelling and could instead be forced to unite behind May.

Attacking May

While Kinnock’s call for a no confidence motion demanded a change of direction from Corbyn he was careful to concentrate his attacks on the Tories.

“The stark contrast between the incompetence of the Conservative party and the strength of our position, combined with the fact that the stakes for our country simply could not be higher, lead inevitably to the conclusion that Labour is duty-bound to table a motion of no confidence,” he wrote.

“The fact is that the government is engaged in the most important, high-stakes negotiation in our postwar history, and it is simply not up to the task. Where there should be purpose and clarity there is muddle and fudge – positions change constantly because the goal has never been properly defined.

“Where there should be a united front, there is chaos. The referendum took place 16 months ago, and yet the cabinet is still spending more time negotiating with itself than with the EU. The prime minister’s Florence speech was billed as a turning point in the negotiations – but her own foreign secretary, in an act of breathtaking treachery, published a 4,000-word article in a national newspaper that stole her thunder, undermined her credibility and laid bare the divisions in her Cabinet.

“Where there should be leadership, there is a vacuum. The negotiations are nominally being led by the Prime Minister, but her authority is shot to pieces. In the meantime, the Labour party has emerged as the only realistic hope the country has of getting the Brexit negotiations back on track.

“Patriotic Duty”

“Do we have a leader and a team around him who have the authority and credibility that are preconditions for success? Yes, without a shadow of doubt. Jeremy Corbyn has won two leadership elections and has shifted the political centre of gravity, while Keir Starmer possesses the gravitas and forensic skills that make him the ideal chief negotiator.  There can be no doubt that Michel Barnier sees David Davis as a lightweight, and that he is deeply irritated by all that swagger and bravado – just look at the body language at those press conferences. It is equally certain that this would not be his view if he were dealing with Starmer.

Kinnock said Labour should act “as soon as possible”, insisting that “Time is running out. With every day that passes the government stumbles closer to the disastrous no-deal scenario.”

“Some may suggest that we should leave the Conservatives to it, so they will “own” the failure, something that would work to Labour’s future electoral advantage. But that is not the Labour way. We take responsibility, even in the face of daunting challenges, when our country needs us.

“Similarly, some may say that triggering another election will cause further uncertainty. That may be true, but this divided, shambolic, directionless government is leading the country towards disaster. We must therefore ask ourselves whether that is really something Her Majesty’s loyal opposition can let happen, in all good conscience?

“Others may suggest that a no-confidence motion will end up unifying the other side. Well, the answer to that is simply that the government is making such a hideous mess of this supremely important task, that parliament must be given the opportunity to decide whether it should be allowed to continue.

“The government’s approach to the Brexit negotiations is heading for the rocks. It is Labour’s patriotic duty to demonstrate that we are ready, willing and able to take the helm, and steer our country into safer waters.”

 

by Peter Wilson

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