Jeremy Corbyn faces Labour walkout over Brexit as 'rival' Clive Lewis threatens to quit

Jeremy Corbyn: The leader is facing another revolt
PA
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Jeremy Corbyn faces a shadow cabinet walkout tonight from potential leadership rival Clive Lewis, as the crunch Brexit vote dealt another blow to Labour unity.

Shadow business secretary Mr Lewis admitted he might quit to rebel against Mr Corbyn’s three-line whip. “I’ve got to make a decision on how I vote,” he told the BBC. “I’m going to make my mind up.”

Asked how he will vote he said: “I don’t know … a lot on my plate, a lot on everybody’s plate.”

In a day of Labour tensions Mr Corbyn’s office was forced to deny rumours he is thinking about stepping down and anointing a successor from the Left. A source said there was “no truth at all” to the claims.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott was expected to fall into line after being mocked by colleagues for missing last week’s vote with a migraine. A source said: “We think Diane has bought a packet of ibuprofen.”

A rebellion by London Labour MPs who are opposed to Brexit looked likely to grow. Two more, Seema Malhotra and Jim Fitzpatrick, were considering defying the whips.

Theresa May was confident that the Government would cruise to victory in the third reading of the Bill, empowering her to trigger Article 50 and begin Brexit.

Mr Lewis was called to a private one-to-one meeting in Mr Corbyn’s Commons office last night, the Standard learned, after he gave a clear signal in an earlier shadow cabinet meeting that he was prepared to rebel.

But it was clear today that Mr Lewis had not made up his mind.

A terse Mr Corbyn refused to give interviews to reporters outside his north London home this morning.

In comments that will make it hard for Mr Lewis to avoid rebelling and resigning, the MP said: “It’s my intention to do what’s right by my constituents and my conscience. It’s a really tough call.”

A fellow shadow cabinet member told the Standard that Mr Lewis was “very unpredictable” and seemed to be struggling with the competing pressures.

Among those was a clear sense that he would not receive Mr Corbyn’s support in any future leadership contest if he rebelled tonight.

Mr Lewis is believed to be assessing his own chances as a future leader from the Left. His departure would be the fourth shadow cabinet resignation in a week, but by far the most senior.

A Labour MP said: “Clive’s position may become untenable today. From what I understand he is quietly gathering opinion on whether he should launch a bid when the opportunity arises.”

Another added: “He is on manoeuvres and I think he will vote against [at the] third reading and will resign because he recognises if he wants to run for leader he has to have been in a position that’s against Article 50.

"It’s a bit like the Iraq war, you have to be on the right side of the debate.”

Ms Abbott walked away without speaking when the Standard asked her how she would vote today. Sources said she sat in complete silence at yesterday’s shadow cabinet meeting which discussed the vote.

Mr Corbyn’s office was forced to deny that he had set a “departure date” for a leadership handover, perhaps next year. But one Labour source said it was believed that Mr Corbyn’s wife, Laura Alvarez, was pushing him to retire, adding: “Jeremy’s wife is definitely concerned about him, upset, and she’s had enough.”

More than half of all London Labour MPs are expected to rebel against Mr Corbyn tonight when they are asked to vote for the final time to trigger Britain’s departure from the EU.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in