Corbyn to call for UK election if May loses Brexit vote - Labour

[webfact]

Corbyn to call for UK election if May loses Brexit vote - Labour

 

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, Britain, September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's main opposition Labour Party will demand a general election if Prime Minister Theresa May loses a vote in parliament over her Brexit plans next week, its leader Jeremy Corbyn will say on Thursday.

 

Lawmakers are due to vote next Tuesday on May's plans and are widely expected to defeat them after she failed to win over the Northern Irish party that props up her minority government.

 

"If the government cannot pass its most important legislation, then there must be a general election at the earliest opportunity," Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will say, according to the text of a speech he will deliver in Wakefield, northern England, extracts of which were released by Labour.

 

In response to Corbyn, the chairman of May's Conservative Party said Labour did not have a plan for Brexit.

 

"Instead they are arguing in public about whether to frustrate the decision of the British people and rerun the referendum," Brandon Lewis said.

 

May has so far refused to retreat from her deal, which envisages close trading ties with the EU, but without any say on policy as Britain has now, after leaving on March 29.

 

Lawmakers voted 308-297 on Wednesday in favour of demanding the government come up with an alternative plan within three working days if it loses the Jan. 15 vote, rather than a planned 21 days, putting more political pressure on May.

 

"To break the deadlock, an election is not only the most practical option, it is also the most democratic option," Corbyn will say.

 

"It would give the winning party a renewed mandate to negotiate a better deal for Britain and secure support for it in parliament and across the country."

 

(Reporting by Andy Bruce; editing by Stephen Addison)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-01-10

[Chomper Higgot]

So he can snatch political annihilation from the jaws of victory over a miserably failing government.

[baboon]

This is all simply rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, given what I suspect will result in a hung parliament. 

[smedly]

Corbyn (idiot) has be calling for another election 1hr after losing the last one, everything they do is aimed at bringing down the Gov - it is a disgrace 

[TopDeadSenter]

Have an election? Why? Since leave won, we are no longer accepting the democratic will of the British people via voting as has been done since what the Magna Carta days? Get Brexit done, completely, as we voted to do, and then let's start to think about having an election. Yes?

 Remainers may have managed to overturn the democratic will of the British people, but in doing so they have also totally killed the concept of democracy. Sad to not see this being correctly recognized.

[MRToMRT]

It's interesting that the vote gave May a potential route that keeps the UK in Europe (within 3 days announce a referendum as parliament is unable to decide). Somehow I think she will be quite pleased with the outcome as she was a remainer anyway.

I watched the PM question time last night ..... May 5 Corbyn 1 from my opinion. If labour wants to get and then win an election it needs a new leader.

[DoctorG]

Corbyn can "demand" until his ears explode. Not going to happen.

[Chomper Higgot]

18 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Have an election? Why? Since leave won, we are no longer accepting the democratic will of the British people via voting as has been done since what the Magna Carta days? Get Brexit done, completely, as we voted to do, and then let's start to think about having an election. Yes?

 Remainers may have managed to overturn the democratic will of the British people, but in doing so they have also totally killed the concept of democracy. Sad to not see this being correctly recognized.

So the ‘British people’ have had the vote since ‘Magna Carta days’?

 

 

[welovesundaysatspace]

27 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Have an election? Why? Since leave won, we are no longer accepting the democratic will of the British people via voting as has been done since what the Magna Carta days? Get Brexit done, completely, as we voted to do, and then let's start to think about having an election. Yes?

 Remainers may have managed to overturn the democratic will of the British people, but in doing so they have also totally killed the concept of democracy. Sad to not see this being correctly recognized.

You still don’t understand that we are living in a parliamentary representative democracy, not a manipulated opinion polls dictatorship. Brexiteers tried to circumvent and destroy democracy by manipulating millions of people with lies and false promises, especially the poor and uneducated easy targets. It is good to see that the checks and balances seem to start working again now. I was shocked that the manipulated opinion poll of 2016 wasn’t declared void immediately. 

[ballpoint]

22 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

So the ‘British people’ have had the vote since ‘Magna Carta days’?

 

 

 

[sammieuk1]

What was that song about Alice Corbyn ringing around Westminster ????

[bert bloggs]

23 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

You still don’t understand that we are living in a parliamentary representative democracy, not a manipulated opinion polls dictatorship. Brexiteers tried to circumvent and destroy democracy by manipulating millions of people with lies and false promises, especially the poor and uneducated easy targets. It is good to see that the checks and balances seem to start working again now. I was shocked that the manipulated opinion poll of 2016 wasn’t declared void immediately. 

The only manipulation going on is project fear from the remainers. you lost, live with it .

[RuamRudy]

22 minutes ago, bert bloggs said:

The only manipulation going on is project fear from the remainers. you lost, live with it .

More than 2 years after we lost, and a mere handful of days before Brexit is supposed to come into effect, yet you are still unable to say what the 'it' that we are supposed to live with actually is.

 

You have failed in the most dismal of ways - all your Brexit bluster has gone and you have been shown to be utterly lacking in content, ideas, imagination, foresight - Brexit has been shown to be nothing more than an empty vessel of jingoism and bilious lies. Brexit and the Brexiteers have resoundingly failed UK in the most catastrophic of ways, and when the UK falls, as it will very soon, the blame will squarely lie at your door.

[owl sees all]

I think this is tactically unsound. I'm a supporter of the Labour Party, but this does not make sense. Any Tory MP that is 'undecided' might now be persuaded to vote for May's deal. And any wafty Labourites might side with May as they wouldn't want an election so soon if they were not listening to their constituents. Deselection. Time is a healer.

 

The latest is that she will be defeated by over 40 votes, but JC's words might drop that number.

[tutsiwarrior]

2 hours ago, smedly said:

Corbyn (idiot) has be calling for another election 1hr after losing the last one, everything they do is aimed at bringing down the Gov - it is a disgrace 

 

I always thought that the opposition in the UK considered 'bringing down the government' their raison d'etre...Corbyn is doing a 'knee jerk' number in wanting to depose the May government and it's doubtful if labour has the support it needs to win a snap election or arrange a new referendum...if labour lost a snap election which is likely then their defeat will be total and it will be the tory's ball in play for the foreseeable future...

 

sorta like in the US where the dems haven't made a move toward impeachment as they know that the white populist/fascist tide has not yet receded and they don't yet have the necessary support....'interesting times' are still with us in the west...and all that remains is to struggle...

 

 

[Guest]

Given the mess this government has been, Labour should be gaining 2/3 of the parliament seats in the next general elections. However given the mess Labour is with it's unsuited 'leader', they can't even be sure that they would get a majority of seats.

 

UK's political system seems be broken at the moment. A good cleanup would be needed, but are there suitable leaders for both parties in the pipeline?

 

[RuamRudy]

12 minutes ago, oilinki said:

Given the mess this government has been, Labour should be gaining 2/3 of the parliament seats in the next general elections. However given the mess Labour is with it's unsuited 'leader', they can't even be sure that they would get a majority of seats.

 

UK's political system seems be broken at the moment. A good cleanup would be needed, but are there suitable leaders for both parties in the pipeline?

 

Labour is in power in Wales and is making such a mess of things there; in Scotland, according to most recent polls, they are predicted to lose all but 1 of their MPs if there was a snap election called. Looking at how both the Tories and Labour are riven with internal dissent, it is hard to see just who can bring Westminster out of disrepute; certainly there seems to be no unifying figure within either party. 

[David in the north]

4 hours ago, smedly said:

Corbyn (idiot) has be calling for another election 1hr after losing the last one, everything they do is aimed at bringing down the Gov - it is a disgrace 

Exactly. The man is a total idiot. No more fit to be leader than the man in the moon. Doing everything he can to cause trouble instead of doing what is the best for the country

[Baerboxer]

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

So he can snatch political annihilation from the jaws of victory over a miserably failing government.

"It would give the winning party a renewed mandate to negotiate a better deal for Britain and secure support for it in parliament and across the country."

 

Who in their right mind would believe this very left wing lunatic is capable of negotiating a better deal with the EU?

 

What does is vision of better deal look like? How will he negotiate with an EU that have already said no more negotiations on their side? Will he throw money at them as Labor like to do with all problems - after all it's only tax payers money, plenty more available there?

 

Notice he wants to ignore the 48% who voted to remain, all the people who now say they've changed their minds, all the academics and business leaders and anyone in his own party who supports a new referendum - because he wants to leave! 

 

Anyone trusting this very left wing, UK hating, IRA & PLO terrorist nutter to deliver anything he promises and repair what will be a severely damaged UK, is really naive at best.

 

He does appeal to young people because they've never witnessed the crap Labor governments and their disaster mismanagement of last century; and they believe his promises, like free tertiary education for all (which I do support but he won't deliver) and a fairer equal society. They should look at socialist countries and see how the political classes always become "more equal" and how they impoverish the masses.

 

 

[Baerboxer]

1 minute ago, David in the north said:

Exactly. The man is a total idiot. No more fit to be leader than the man in the moon. Doing everything he can to cause trouble instead of doing what is the best for the country

 

Totally agree. He just can't help himself. His style of hate filled socialism is the same as the old <deleted> Labor of the 70's which is why he was a backbencher for so long.

 

He had a golden opportunity to change, show what a statesman he was, lead an effective opposition and become more in tune with the electorate whilst pushing what's best for the country.

 

But in true left wing fashion, he thinks he knows better what's best for everyone!

[bristolboy]

9 minutes ago, David in the north said:

Exactly. The man is a total idiot. No more fit to be leader than the man in the moon. Doing everything he can to cause trouble instead of doing what is the best for the country

I agree. For one thing, he doesn't support a second referendum.

[bristolboy]

Politically speaking, it would be much wiser for Corbyn to wait until after the shambles caused by Brexit. When all those working class voters find out that things are getting worse for them, not better, they will hold their noses and vote Labour.

[Baerboxer]

1 hour ago, RuamRudy said:

Labour is in power in Wales and is making such a mess of things there; in Scotland, according to most recent polls, they are predicted to lose all but 1 of their MPs if there was a snap election called. Looking at how both the Tories and Labour are riven with internal dissent, it is hard to see just who can bring Westminster out of disrepute; certainly there seems to be no unifying figure within either party. 

 

Excellent commentary. I think the same. The Tories could rip apart given their deep and very public divide. Hopefully the faction with Boris, Reece-Mogg etc will become a minor fringe party! Labor could also split. Momentum are a very left wing element supporting Corbyn and his click. The center left could well split from them. The Liberals seem to be beyond repair!

 

It's more and more likely the face of British politics could change forever with many more political parties winning seats and therefore governments having to be coalitions. Rather like in some other EU countries.

 

Westminster took a lot of local power and centralized it in WW1. And have hung on to as much of it as possible ever since! Maybe this will also stimulate a devolving of power to the regions? 

 

 

[Baerboxer]

5 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Politically speaking, it would be much wiser for Corbyn to wait until after the shambles caused by Brexit. When all those working class voters find out that things are getting worse for them, not better, they will hold their noses and vote Labour.

 

Possibly. Although his refusal to support those supporting a second referendum or remain because he wants to leave will not be forgotten so easily.

 

And once out, he will he negotiate the wonderful deal he waffles on about?

[gamini]

4 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Have an election? Why? Since leave won, we are no longer accepting the democratic will of the British people via voting as has been done since what the Magna Carta days? Get Brexit done, completely, as we voted to do, and then let's start to think about having an election. Yes?

 Remainers may have managed to overturn the democratic will of the British people, but in doing so they have also totally killed the concept of democracy. Sad to not see this being correctly recognized.

How can you call it the will of the people when many have changed their minds. People have the right to change their minds. The majority now support staying in the EU instead of leaving it. Of course the brexiteers are saying all the opinion polls are wrong.

[bristolboy]

1 minute ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Possibly. Although his refusal to support those supporting a second referendum or remain because he wants to leave will not be forgotten so easily.

 

And once out, he will he negotiate the wonderful deal he waffles on about?

At the very least, we can expect Labour to markedly increase funding for social services and NHS.

[nauseus]

3 hours ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

You still don’t understand that we are living in a parliamentary representative democracy, not a manipulated opinion polls dictatorship. Brexiteers tried to circumvent and destroy democracy by manipulating millions of people with lies and false promises, especially the poor and uneducated easy targets. It is good to see that the checks and balances seem to start working again now. I was shocked that the manipulated opinion poll of 2016 wasn’t declared void immediately. 

Same old.. same old... different day. 

[Basil B]

5 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

So he can snatch political annihilation from the jaws of victory over a miserably failing government.

Could do, but all he will do is cause a bigger mess, but there again I think that is his intention, as I recall at the time of the of the referendum Labour was supporting Remain but he was going against the party...

 

So I suspect he is trying to put a spanner in the works so we leave by default without any government to put the breaks on as we head for a period of countless general elections with no party with a majority and therefore unable to form a government.

 

the countdown to apocalypse = T-78 days and counting...  come back Guido Fawkes all's forgiven.

 

[cooked]

26 minutes ago, gamini said:

How can you call it the will of the people when many have changed their minds. People have the right to change their minds. The majority now support staying in the EU instead of leaving it. Of course the brexiteers are saying all the opinion polls are wrong.

Polls have shown that even more would vote leave in a second referendum than last time. Sort of "up yours boyo. we already told you".

[melvinmelvin]

33 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Excellent commentary. I think the same. The Tories could rip apart given their deep and very public divide. Hopefully the faction with Boris, Reece-Mogg etc will become a minor fringe party! Labor could also split. Momentum are a very left wing element supporting Corbyn and his click. The center left could well split from them. The Liberals seem to be beyond repair!

 

It's more and more likely the face of British politics could change forever with many more political parties winning seats and therefore governments having to be coalitions. Rather like in some other EU countries.

 

Westminster took a lot of local power and centralized it in WW1. And have hung on to as much of it as possible ever since! Maybe this will also stimulate a devolving of power to the regions? 

 

 

 

Labour splitting in two and Tory in two or three could probably be a godsend for UK politics.

It is very educational for politicians to have to establish and work within coalitions.

 

Also a bunch of smaller parties might make it possible to replace fptp.