Boris Johnson yesterday threw up a massive smokescreen to cover the humiliation of failing to meet his “do or die” pledge to leave the EU by October 31.
Labour not only played along with this ruse but only added to the Tories’ delight by tripping over its feet in the process.
Jeremy Corbyn didn’t need to say anything yesterday beyond pointing out that there was a ditch without a body in it and that Labour was biding its time to see the terms of the extension the EU is prepared to grant us.
Instead Labour sent out conflicting signals that only drew attention to the party’s divisions.
The party’s whips told MPs the official position would be to abstain in Monday’s crunch vote only for Corbyn to tell the broadcasters they had yet to decide their final position.
We may or may not get clarity when the Labour leader appears on ITV’s This Morning at 10.30am.
The debate in Labour is between those who fear they will look chicken if they continue to block an election and those who fear they will be stuffed if they don’t.
Mixed into this are a number of difficult judgement calls on how they can best stop a no-deal Brexit and whether the party’s fortunes are best served by having an election after Brexit is completed, which allows them to focus on their anti-austerity agenda, or before which would leave Johnson vulnerable to sniping from the Brexit Party.
Tensions are running so high that if Corbyn were to order his MPs to back a Christmas poll he would face a sizeable rebellion from the backbenches.
Allies of the Labour leader have been the most vociferous in wanting to go to the polls.
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett tweeted last night: “Our troops are ready, the party is fully prepared. Let’s get at them!”
You can understand the impatience of the Labour left.
They know this could be their final chance to get Corbyn elected and fear any delay could be used to engineer his resignation in favour of a successor who may command more credible personal poll ratings.
Labour should also be making more of Johnson’s failure to deliver on his word and Downing Street’s suggestion they will down tools if an election is not granted.
This is a Prime Minister who has so far spent £140million of taxpayers’ money on a public information campaign telling people to get ready for something which will now not take place on the date advertised.
Voters who work all hours could take a dim view of a governing party which cannot be bothered to turn up for work.
Nor are they likely to be impressed if Johnson carries out his threat and refuses to bring back the Brexit withdrawal bill.
He can hardly say he wants to get Brexit done and then decline the opportunity to do just that.
The assumption will be that Johnson has known all along that the more time MPs had to scrutinise the legislation the more horrors they would find contained in the small print.
The risk for Johnson is the Bill could be diluted through amendments into a softer Brexit that will split his party and hand Nigel Farage the ammunition he needs to say this is not a real Brexit.
source:mirror