The British establishment is rendering itself increasingly irrelevant. First, the Labour Party leader endorsed the EU’s principle of “vote until you vote correctly”:
Labour’s Brexit civil war escalated dramatically today after Jeremy Corbyn backed a second referendum. Leave-supporting MPs voiced fury after the leader heralded a seismic shift, warning that trying to overturn the result from 2016 would be ‘catastrophic’.
Tensions are also already seething over when a referendum should be held – and whether Remain should be on the ballot paper.
In an extraordinary move, Mr Corbyn told his MPs last night that the party was ready to back a second public vote to prevent a ‘damaging Tory Brexit’. The party is likely to table a Commons amendment which would mean a referendum on whatever deal finally gets through Parliament.
However, the new stance still appears to leave questions about whether Labour will call for a referendum if Mrs May’s deal is not passed, or whether one would only happen if Mr Corbyn wins powers and negotiates his own package.
And Theresa May showed her true Remainer colours by offering to delay Brexit beyond the March 29 deadline.
Theresa May faces a titanic Cabinet battle over Brexit today amid signs she is ready to surrender to a Remainer revolt.
The PM is gathering her senior team as tensions hit new heights, with negotiations deadlocked in Brussels and just weeks to go until the UK is due to crash out. Cabinet sources told MailOnline there were ‘encouraging’ signs that Mrs May is now ready to delay Brexit to avert mass resignations by ministers who are determined to rule out no deal.
But the expected concession will cause fury among Eurosceptics who have been adamant the option of leaving without an agreement must be kept on the table.
My best guess is that all this is all political sound and fury signifying nothing in the end, and Britain will exit with no deal by the end of March. I also expect Labour to get slaughtered in Leave districts in the next election. But we will see.