In the social media swirl surrounding Saturday’s Brexit vote, one parliamentary correspondent noted he had seen Labour’s chief whip walk past carrying a large roll of black duct tape. On a day when every Labour vote was critical, it sparked bemused speculation as to what the tape was for: holding the party’s more wavering MPs hostage? Or just forcing Jacob Rees-Mogg to sit up properly?
Rebel Labour MPs want to support a Brexit deal either because they sit in a heavily leave-voting seat, are Brexiters themselves, or think it should happen because Britain (narrowly) voted for Brexit – or any combination of those three. We aren’t talking huge numbers – the government calculated it potentially had the support of some 15 Labour rebel MPs for Saturday’s non-vote. But things are increasingly tight and increasingly critical: Boris Johnson’s government is pushing an extreme Brexit and has decimated its narrow minority by alienating allies and its own MPs. Every time there’s a Brexit vote, there is a huge Labour operation to keep MPs on side. So far they have been successful, with Theresa May losing three meaningful votes on a Brexit deal, and Johnson’s version now being paused to allow proper scrutiny.
Continue reading...