Beginning of the end of the Labour Party?
Previously in Corbyn's world, he said that all Labour MPs would be asked to support Article 50.Clearly, just asking is not going get their support. So now he has turned the heat up.
"It’s clearly a three-line whip. It is a vote on the article 50 ... We will put out a statement today to our members that we want them to vote for article 50.
Many Labour MPs, who like Corbyn as a backbencher, are prepared to vote on principle. (Against!)
Others, say they will vote the same way as the majority in their constituency. (if it was against).
Bottom line is that we have a labour party split on whether to honour the first stage of the referendum.
Worse for Corbyn.... He has a revolt to contend with.. again.
Shadow ministers Tulip Siddiq, Catherine West, Dawn Butler, Clive Lewis, Jo Stevens and Cat Smith are possible trouble makers.
Not to mention the backbenchers.
Options are to resign or be sacked.
Is this the beginning of the end of the Labour party? 100 seat Tory majority at the next GE would be my bet.
For once Corbyn seems to facing in the right direction for the party's future as a political force, but everything else he's done so far means he now seems to be standing shoulder to shoulder with himself. Leave him alone. He's doing a good job. It should have been the end for Corbyn long before now, but I don't see an end to the party looming. I do think we could see the formation of a new party if they can't get rid of him though, this could be a split too far within Labour. The big tent of Labour is certainly shrinking - that could be a good thing or a bad thing.. Problem is if a lot of Labour MP's vote against article 50 then come the next election in certain areas they will struggle to get elected again. Its o.k for the ones in the big cities like London and Bristol to do this but any Labour MP doing this elsewhere is asking for trouble. UKIP must be licking its lips at the moment. Tulip Siddiq, describes herself as 'socialist' but married to a Cambridge educated, company director. No doubt she'll be saying he should give that up.
Edit: Correction. That's how she can afford to be a socialist. I bet Labour dearly wishes this vote was the only issue.
Tulip Siddiq's resignation is a reminder that Labour is in no man’s land on Brexit | Coffee House
Siddiq’s resignation, the first Brexit front bench resignation, is a reminder that—as I say in my column this week — the Article 50 vote will be more politically difficult for Labour than the Conservatives. Labour MPs for Leave-voting constituencies don’t want it to look like they or their party are trying to obstruct the referendum result so, generally, favour voting for Article 50. While Labour MPs in heavily Remain seats are reluctant to back something neither they nor their constituents support. They also don’t want to let the Lib Dem claim a monopoly on opposition to Brexit which could make them a threat to Labour in cosmopolitan seats such as Hampstead in the medium term.
Labour is in no man’s land on Brexit. It is neither for it nor against it. It is fast becoming an irrelevance on the biggest political issue of the day. For Labour, there are worrying parallels with how it has become peripheral to politics in Scotland now that constitutional questions dominate there. If Labour can’t sort this out, then the next election might be much worse than a simple defeat for them. Jo Stevens has resigned (Shadow Secretary of state for Wales)
Talk of Whips resigning - a bit awkward if Corbyn wants a 3 line Whip! I hear that the NI police officer who was shot, has now sent his condolences to the labour party.
Corbyn gaffe over injured police officer - BBC News