Europhile Labour MPs have rounded on their party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, after he offered to support Theresa May’s Brexit deal in exchange for significant concessions. Mr Corbyn wrote to the British prime minister on Wednesday evening, saying that Labour would support her agreement with the EU if the non-binding political declaration were changed towards a softer Brexit. Chuka Umunna, one of the main Labour backers of a second Brexit referendum, said Mr Corbyn’s letter was “totally demoralising”. Lucy Powell, a Labour MP who backs membership of the customs union and single market, said Mr Corbyn had made “a really significant move to break the Brexit paralysis”. Similar motions, put down by Labour’s Yvette Cooper and the Conservative Dominic Grieve respectively, failed last week, partly due to rebellions by more than 25 Labour MPs.

Source: The Irish Times February 07, 2019 09:41 UTC