Politics

Bust-up as Jeremy Corbyn’s number two Tom Watson walks out of shadow cabinet over second Brexit referendum



Labour‘s deputy leader Tom Watson walked out of shadow cabinet today as he led a defiant challenge against Jeremy Corbyn over a second Brexit referendum.

Mr Watson left the meeting early and later accused the leadership of refusing his request to show shadow cabinet members the wording of the party’s proposed stance for the European Parliament elections.

His surprise departure from the top-level meeting highlighted the deep split at the heart of Labour over a so-called People’s Vote which was being discussed by its ruling body the National Executive Committee today.

Defending himself against claims that he stormed out, Mr Watson tweeted: “I politely asked if the shadow cabinet were going to see the draft words and was told ‘no’.  

“So I left to walk to the NEC where the document will be available and the decision will be made.”

Tom Watson made a surprise departure from the top-level meeting (EPA)

Sources said the shadow cabinet had been told that they would be getting a verbal update on the draft manifesto for the Euro polls at the end of May.

However, after Mr Watson walked out, a decision is believed to have been taken to show details on a screen to the remaining senior shadow ministers.

The deputy leader has been defying Mr Corbyn by rallying support for another another referendum, piling pressure on him to come off the fence and firmly back going back to the public over Brexit amid gridlock in Parliament.

As he headed to the NEC meeting at Labour headquarters in Westminster, Mr Watson again challenged Mr Corbyn’s stance on the referendum.

“In the last few days like most of my colleagues on the NEC, I have been inundated with thousands of emails from Labour Party members who are saying that Labour voters recognise the parliamentary failure and they think the only way to break this impasse is a referendum on any deal,” he told the BBC.

“We’ve got to listen to the members.”

However, he sought to play down the prospect of a bust-up at the NEC meeting, stressing: “These are very serious matters.”

Ahead of the NEC meeting, Labour MPs Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson wrote to Mr Corbyn and all NEC members urging them to ensure that a confirmatory ballot is in the manifesto.

Mr Wilson stressed that a referendum was backed by the majority of Labour MPs, MEPs, members and supporters, as well as several unions, and had featured in the policy approved by conference last autumn.

Labour MPs had twice been whipped in the Commons to support a motion tabled by the pair to require any Brexit deal to be subject to a public vote, he said.

“Three years on, we know more about what Brexit means and people should be allowed to compare what the deal is with what they were promised and decide whether they want to go ahead,” said Mr Wilson.

“If we don’t do it, the coming years will be divisive because people will be turning round and saying ‘Hang on, I didn’t vote for this’.”

However, the party is deeply split, with many MPs representing Leave constituencies in the North and Midlands fearful that voters could desert Labour

if it backs a second referendum. 

Some 115 MPs and MEPs signed a letter to NEC members organised by the Love Socialism, Hate Brexit group urging them to explicitly back a referendum in the manifesto.

Mr Watson used his Twitter account to urge followers to lobby NEC members to back a public vote.

An additional 12 Labour candidates in the European elections added their names overnight to a pledge to campaign for a referendum and then back efforts to remain in the EU, bringing the total to 34 out of 70.

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband said giving giving the public another say on Brexit may be a last resort to ensure a “way out of this mess”.



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