Labour will back a snap general
election as soon as
Brussels offers an extension of the UK’s membership of the EU, a leading ally of
Jeremy Corbyn has declared.
Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon dismissed as “fantasy politics” the idea that an election could be delayed until after a second
Brexit referendum was held.
Amid fresh infighting in the party over a winter polling day, Burgon also said
Labour was “not in the business of leaving the Conservatives in power” for a day longer than necessary to avoid a no-deal exit.
On Tuesday night, EU leaders were invited by European council president Donald Tusk to accept the
UK government’s request for a three-month delay to the October 31 deadline for Brexit.
Once the 27 EU states agree their position,
Boris Johnson is expected to move swiftly to demand a general election, daring Labour to risk rejecting a snap poll for the third time.
Asked if Labour would agree to an election if the EU approved an extension, Burgon told
BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Yes. Labour’s position is that as soon as no-deal is off the table we want a general election to get the Tories out as soon as possible.
“We are not in the business of leaving the Conservatives in power. They’ve been in power for nine years we want to get them out as soon as possible.”
Tensions over the election issue boiled over at Labour’s shadow cabinet meeting on Tuesday, with party chairman Ian Lavery rounding on Keir Starmer for trying to push the party into a position of putting a referendum before an election.Burgon told the BBC: “I think that’s fantasy politics because a public vote cannot occur under the current arithmetic of parliament. Boris Johnson is not going to preside for nine months over preparations for and conduct of a public vote.”
Sources told HuffPost UK that “the real argument” internally is over the timing of a snap poll rather than any sequencing.
“Some of us think an election in November or December would really piss off the public,” one shadow minister said. “And we need time to build an election campaign on our terms, not be bounced into a short, sharp one on his terms.”
Although some Corbyn allies think a February election is inevitable, other senior figures in the party want a May election to cut costs and boost turnout in the local and mayoral elections.
They believe that if the EU holds off its decision until next week, a November polling day is impossible, leaving a December 12 date as the other unattractive option in the run-up to Christmas.
Justice secretary Robert Buckland confirmed on Wednesday morning that a winter election was the government’s preference.
“However inhospitable and cold the weather might be that seems to me to be the way to break this impasse,” he said.
Some Tory Scottish MPs this week privately warned the PM against a mid-winter poll. Stirling MP Stephen Kerr told the BBC’s World Tonight he was preparing for a November election but any later would be unwise.
“I really would have doubts about a December election. We have tried the patience of people so much this year as a political group at Westminster, to put a general election into the
Christmas month I think would be a push too far.”
Some ministers believe that a snap election can be postponed to the spring if the PM gets his Brexit deal through parliament in coming weeks.
Burgon revealed that Labour whips were in talks with their Tory counterparts over plans to give the Withdrawal Agreement Bill more time. “I would have thought it could be done in a matter of weeks, but it’s not for me to decide,” he said.
Johnson paused the bill on Tuesday night after plans to fast-track it through the Commons in just three days were defeated by 14 votes. The Queen’s Speech debate will continue instead.Related... What’s Next For Brexit Now That Boris Johnson’s Timetable Has Been Scrapped? These Are The MPs Who Voted For Boris Johnson's Brexit Deal