Two Labour whips have said they will refuse to vote in favour of the article 50 bill, as the Labour frontbencher who resigned on Thursday said she felt her decision to defy the whip was “truly reflecting the will of the people”. Jeff Smith and Thangam Debbonaire, whose constituencies strongly backed remain in last summer’s referendum, said separately they would not be voting to invoke article 50, which triggers the process of leaving the EU. Writing in the Guardian, Siddiq said she had received a torrent of abuse since her resignation, which she said was unfortunate but hardly surprising given the divisiveness of the Brexit vote. “I can well imagine how hard their decisions must be too.”Corbyn has imposed a three-line whip, the strictest form of instruction to attend and vote, on article 50. Smith and Debbonaire’s role as whips is to ensure the party’s MPs vote as the leadership demands.

Source: The Guardian January 27, 2017 09:08 UTC