Labour Party split over early election amid fears of Brexit ‘damage’

Rebecca Long-Bailey six times ducked saying if Labour will back an “immediate” general election today amid a major split in the party over whether to keep Boris Johnson waiting until next year for a poll.

The shadow business secretary refused to give a clear answer during a round of media interviews when she was repeatedly asked how Jeremy Corbyn will respond if challenged to agree to an election in coming days.

A string of Labour MPs and some frontbenchers have told the Standard that Mr Corbyn will be hit by a revolt if he agrees to an election before Christmas with the Brexit deal still unresolved. 

One senior London MP said unpublished polling suggested Labour seats with strong local Remain support would be endangered and target seats slip out of reach. The MP said there would be “irreparable damage” to the party in the capital. 

An MP from outside London said: “We won’t vote for it.” Asked who in Labour was opposed to an early election, he added: “It’s the grown-up view.”

On Sky News, Ms Long-Bailey conceded that “a number of MPs are worried about what will happen” in a general election.  

Mr Johnson is waiting for the EU to decide on how long a Brexit delay will be given to Britain before he decides whether to challenge Mr Corbyn to an election, which would require two-thirds backing in the Commons under the Fixed Term Parliament Act.

Mr Corbyn said in September he would agree to a contest immediately if a long Brexit extension to January 31 was given.

But when BBC Radio 4’s Today programme tried to pin down Ms Long-Bailey, she repeatedly sidestepped a clear answer, at one point saying it was “within the Prime Minister’s prerogative really”. She also pointed out that Mr Corbyn had now offered “a reasonable time frame” in which to scrutinise the withdrawal Bill.

Asked a sixth time, she said: “If he goes straight to calling for a general election, of course we will support a general election.” 

Her words did not make clear if Labour would back a pre-Christmas election or a later date. She added: “But we also want the Prime Minister to look at the compromise he has been offered.”

Tory chairman James Cleverly said: “The Labour Party are running scared and I can completely understand why. Their Brexit message is confused at best.”

No 10 is also divided over election timing. Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson’s chief adviser, is said to be pressing for an immediate contest, while Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith reportedly wants to pass the Bill first.

Labour MPs are highlighting a string of key battlegrounds where an immediate election would cause concern.

Hornsey & Wood Green and Hampstead & Kilburn are Labour-held seats seen as vulnerable following the revival of the Liberal Democrats, whose success is credited to a strong anti-Brexit message. Battersea could be lost to the Conservatives and Putney, a target seat, be put out of reach.

A shadow cabinet minister told the Standard the party should make Mr Johnson wait at least until after his October 31 deadline had been missed.

“That way everyone will see he has failed,” said the frontbencher. “His support will fall with each week he is left dangling there.”

An MP said: “We are going to have to pour resources into some seats that really should be safe when we are in opposition.”

The Liberal Democrats boosted their anti-Brexit appeal this morning by putting down an amendment to the Queen’s Speech motion calling for a second referendum “in which the public will have the choice between the latest withdrawal agreement and remaining in the European Union”.

Mr Cleverly admitted that Nativity plays in schools may be cancelled if there is a Christmas election. He told Today: “I don’t want to be the Grinch, but the point is democracy is incredibly important and we have been prevented on discharging the duty imposed upon us.”

He said the Government has had to “ramp up” its no-deal preparations in case the EU refuses to give a long Brexit extension. A decision by the EU is due tomorrow, with a three-month delay considered likely.

The Prime Minister was lambasted by MP Sarah Wollaston for cancelling a grilling at the Liaison Committee to free up time for intensive Brexit talks. She said: “This is now the third time that he’s cancelled.”