A group of disaffected Labour MPs is preparing to quit the party and form a breakaway movement on the political centre ground amid growing discontent with Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership on Brexit and other key issues including immigration, foreign policy and antisemitism.
The Observer has been told by multiple sources that at least six MPs have been drawing up plans to resign the whip and leave the party soon. There have also been discussions involving senior figures about a potentially far larger group splitting off at some point after Brexit, if Corbyn fails to do everything possible to oppose Theresa May’s plans for taking the UK out of the EU.
On Saturday night, three of the MPs widely rumoured to be involved in the plans for an initial breakaway – Angela Smith, Chris Leslie and Luciana Berger – refused to be drawn into talk of a split, and insisted they were focused on opposing Brexit. But they did not deny that moves could be made by the spring or early summer.
Theresa May has been given a boost as the Tories surged to a seven-point lead over Labour in a new opinion poll, as Jeremy Corbyn issued a fresh call for a snap general election.
Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn’s Labour party slumped by six points from 40 per cent to 34 per cent in the past fortnight, according to a survey by Opinium for The Observer, seeing them leapfrogged by the Conservatives who went from 37 per cent to 41 per cent.
Public approval of Mr Corbyn’s personal handling of Brexit also fell to a new low of 16 per cent, from 18 per cent two weeks previously.
The Labour leader has continued his calls for a general election in the wake of Ms May’s Brexit deal being voted down despite his disapproval rating being 61 per cent, according to the new poll.
The poll also found that he has support from little more than four in 10 Labour voters (42 per cent).
Ms May‘s handling of Brexit is little better at 25 per cent, she has the backing, just, of a majority of Tory voters (54 per cent).
The prime minister’s Brexit deal is becoming slightly more popular with the public with a 15 per cent-45 per cent good-bad split, up from 12 per cent-50 per cent a fortnight ago.
The percentage who believe Britain will leave with a deal in March has risen from 14 per cent to 21 per cent in the same period, but a quarter of Leave supporters now believe there will be a no-deal Brexit, up from 15 per cent.
The poll of 2,008 people was carried out between Wednesday and Friday, after a series of Commons votes on the mechanics of Brexit on Tuesday.
via The Independent/Observer
