Jeremy Corbyn scored a major victory at the Labour conference yesterday when a grassroots bid to force him to “energetically” back Remain was voted down in a show of hands in Brighton.
Amid what The Guardian described as “chaotic scenes,” members endorsed Corbyn's choice to stay neutral while negotiating a new deal as the party voted against a motion that would have seen Labour backing Remain in any future referendum.
Many stood and cheered the result, with some breaking into a chorus of “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn” but there was confusion as the votes were called. The chair of the proceedings faced calls for a recount “amid claims that his supporters stitched up the result,” says The Times.
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Corbyn’s draft plan for Labour’s Brexit policy suggests that if Labour took office it would remain neutral on Brexit while negotiating a new deal with Brussels within three months.
The BBC explains that the Corbyn government would then hold a referendum within six months, and the party would decide which side to back ahead of that at a special conference.
However, anti-Brexit activists at the conference had pushed for an unambiguous stance, tabling a motion calling for Labour to campaign “energetically” to Remain.
That motion was rejected while a separate one, setting out the leadership's official position and another endorsing its handling of Brexit were overwhelmingly passed.
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Could this be, wonders the BBC’s Iain Watson, because for some delegates, the debate became “a demonstration of support for the leadership, close to an election, rather than a pure test of opinion on Brexit”?
Certainly, The Independent says the outcome of yesterday’s votes bolsters the position of leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was backed on the day by the majority of Labour's 12 affiliated unions, including Unite and the GMB.
Reaction on the conference floor was mixed. Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said he was disappointed.
"Would I have liked us to have gone a bit further and won that vote? Of course I would - but I don't want to take away from the fact that is quite considerable movement," he said.
However, Unite union leader Len McCluskey welcomed the result, and said: "”What you've seen here is a massive show of support for Jeremy Corbyn.”
