Divided by the Brexit Debate

Divided by the Brexit Debate

News:

1. A by-election is to be held in UK which is crucial in gauging the mood of both the nation and the stand on the Labour Party with respect to BREXIT.

Important Facts:

2. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Heidi Alexander,a popular anti-Brexit MP,
3. Janet Daby, a Labour candidate who supports remaining in the European single market as well as the customs union, won the internal party contest.
4. The by-election has reignited debate within the party about the direction of its strategy on Brexit, it has also highlighted the contradictory pulls on the party. Thus, the Labour party may be forced to specify EU exit strategy as internal rifts intensify
5. Since the referendum, Labour has insisted that it had to abide by the decision of voters. “Labour respects the result of the referendum and Britain is leaving the EU,” Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said. Even though Mr Corbyn is personally of the opinion that remaining in Europe was in Britain’s best interests.
6. Some analysts are of the opinion that more vigorous campaigning in favour of remaining from the Labour leadership could have yielded a different referendum result.
7. Contradictions within the party:

• 83 members of the House of Lords defied a party whip to not vote for an amendment requiring the government to negotiate membership of the single market (the Labour Party is officially against remaining in the single market but wants some form of customs union membership).
• uncertainty has offered space for the resurgence of some of the older, centrist voices of the party, such as former leader Tony Blair, who in a blog warned that the party risked alienating voters, with its stance that offered the “worst of both worlds” convincing neither Remainers nor Leavers that it was taking up their fight.
• Four northern Labour MPs joined forces to demand the party’s support for a second referendum
• A poll of Labour party members recently found that over three-quarters wanted Britain to remain in the single market and the customs union, while leaders of Labour students and Young Labour came together to urge the party leadership to hold a vote on Brexit at a forthcoming conference.

8. What is expected from the Labour party:

• Clarity on the party’s position on Brexit.
• What it means by “Customs Union Membership” which it seeks to negotiate during brexit.
• Would it be able to get the same benefits coming out of EU as it had while it was a member of EU.
• Would it be willing to oppose Brexit if those criteria were not met?

9. Various Leave Campaign groups have been pushing for Brexit vigorously. This is reflected in their overspending. These investigations have encouraged a number of campaign groups that have sprung up to fill a political vacuum left by the two main political parties’ stand on Brexit. The campaigns being investigated include:

• Leave.EU, one of the main campaign groups, was fined over £70,000 for breaching spending limits by Britain’s Electoral Commission, while its CEO was referred to the police by electoral authorities.
• Vote Leave, the official leave campaign, supported by senior members of the cabinet, is under investigation for breaching the spending limits.

10. People’s Vote,is  a cross-party group pushing for a public vote on any final Brexit deal reached with the European Union (EU).
11. Voting trends in 2015 General elections and the Brexit:

• 61% of those who voted Conservative in the 2015 general election voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum
• About 65% of those who had voted Labour in 2015 voted to remain.
• A number of northern Labour constituencies voted heavily to leave (despite, in many cases, having Labour MPs who campaigned to remain).