UK Labour whip quits as second referendum vote exposes splits

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"111265417"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div><p>A UK Labour whip and an aide to deputy Labour leader Tom Watson quit in order to vote against a second Brexit referendum as the party’s divisions on the issue were laid bare&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Stephanie Peacock resigned from the whips office&comma; saying she wanted to &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;respect the result of the 2016 vote” and her constituents in Barnsley East would expect her to &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;honour that promise”&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Ruth Smeeth resigned as parliamentary private secretary to Mr Watson&comma; saying she had a duty to &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;support the will of my constituents” in Leave-supporting Stoke-on-Trent North&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<blockquote class&equals;"twitter-tweet" data-width&equals;"550" data-dnt&equals;"true">&NewLine;<p lang&equals;"en" dir&equals;"ltr">It is with deep regret I tonight resigned from Labour’s front bench&comma; because I believe we should respect the result of the 2016 vote to leave the European Union&colon; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;t&period;co&sol;oPGwMp974U">pic&period;twitter&period;com&sol;oPGwMp974U<&sol;a><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&mdash&semi; Stephanie Peacock &lpar;&commat;Steph&lowbar;Peacock&rpar; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;twitter&period;com&sol;Steph&lowbar;Peacock&sol;status&sol;1106294726007971840&quest;ref&lowbar;src&equals;twsrc&percnt;5Etfw">March 14&comma; 2019<&sol;a><&sol;p><&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;<p><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;platform&period;twitter&period;com&sol;widgets&period;js" charset&equals;"utf-8"><&sol;script><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Two other frontbenchers also rebelled to oppose a second referendum&comma; even though Labour’s official policy is to keep the option on the table&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The party’s MPs had been told to abstain&comma; but a total of 24 backed the call to delay Brexit in order to hold a second referendum&comma; with 17 opposing it&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s office said it was a matter for the whips to decide what action&comma; if any&comma; they would face&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The amendment&comma; pushed by The Independent Group’s Sarah Wollaston&comma; was overwhelmingly defeated by 334 votes to 85 as the bulk of the Labour Party stayed away from the voting lobbies&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In her resignation letter&comma; Ms Peacock told Mr Corbyn&colon; <em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I was elected on the Labour manifesto that pledged to respect the result of the 2016 EU referendum&period; The people of Barnsley elected me to honour that promise and that is what I did tonight&period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I felt in all good conscience I had to vote tonight to clearly rule out any form of second referendum&period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I believe the people spoke in 2016 and we need to enact their decision&period;”<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<blockquote class&equals;"twitter-tweet" data-width&equals;"550" data-dnt&equals;"true">&NewLine;<p lang&equals;"en" dir&equals;"ltr">I&&num;39&semi;ve resigned from Labour&&num;39&semi;s front bench this evening in order to vote against a second referendum&period; This was a difficult decision but I have a duty to support the will of my constituents&period; We need to leave&comma; and leave with a deal that works for the Potteries <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;t&period;co&sol;yOtP1jWsmS">https&colon;&sol;&sol;t&period;co&sol;yOtP1jWsmS<&sol;a><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&mdash&semi; Ruth Smeeth &lpar;&commat;RuthSmeeth&rpar; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;twitter&period;com&sol;RuthSmeeth&sol;status&sol;1106252012189114368&quest;ref&lowbar;src&equals;twsrc&percnt;5Etfw">March 14&comma; 2019<&sol;a><&sol;p><&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;<p><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;platform&period;twitter&period;com&sol;widgets&period;js" charset&equals;"utf-8"><&sol;script><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Ms Smeeth said&colon; <em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;This was a difficult decision but I have a duty to support the will of my constituents&period; We need to leave&comma; and leave with a deal that works for the Potteries&period;”<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Meanwhile&comma; the Labour hierarchy – Mr Corbyn&comma; shadow chancellor John McDonnell&comma; chief whip Nick Smith and shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer – held talks with two backbenchers who have put forward a plan to back Theresa May’s Brexit deal in exchange for a referendum&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>A Labour Party spokesman said they had a &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;useful and constructive discussion” with Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;as part of Labour’s engagement with MPs across Parliament to find a practical solution to break the Brexit deadlock”&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In the Commons&comma; Mr Corbyn said&colon; <em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I reiterate my conviction that a deal can be agreed based on our alternative plan that can command support across the House&period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I also reiterate our support for a People’s Vote – not as a political point-scoring exercise but as a realistic option to break the deadlock&period;”<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div style&equals;"padding-bottom&colon;15px&semi;" class&equals;"wordads-tag" data-slot-type&equals;"belowpost">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div id&equals;"atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68e350d6f01ca">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<script type&equals;"text&sol;javascript">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;getAdSnippetCallback &equals; function &lpar;&rpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;if &lpar; false &equals;&equals;&equals; &lpar; window&period;isWatlV1 &quest;&quest; false &rpar; &rpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&sol;&sol; Use Aditude scripts&period;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;tudeMappings &equals; window&period;tudeMappings &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&semi;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;tudeMappings&period;push&lpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;divId&colon; 'atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68e350d6f01ca'&comma;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;format&colon; 'belowpost'&comma;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&rcub; &rpar;&semi;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&rcub;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&rcub;&NewLine;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;if &lpar; document&period;readyState &equals;&equals;&equals; 'loading' &rpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;document&period;addEventListener&lpar; 'DOMContentLoaded'&comma; window&period;getAdSnippetCallback &rpar;&semi;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&rcub; else &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;getAdSnippetCallback&lpar;&rpar;&semi;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&rcub;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;script>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>


Discover more from London Glossy Post

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

- Advertisement -
Exit mobile version