Sunday, June 26, 2016

Britain's Labour Party in turmoil over Brexit vote results

begin quote from:

Britain's Labour Party in turmoil over Brexit vote results

CNN - ‎1 hour ago‎
London (CNN) The leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party has vowed not to step down amid challenges to his leadership as the fallout from the UK's momentous vote to leave the European Union continues.
Jeremy Corbyn faces coup as six shadow cabinet members quit after Hilary Benn sacking
Brexit: Hilary Benn sacked as Corbyn faces 'no confidence' pressure
Jeremy Corbyn has made his point. Now it's time for Labour to move on
Labour resignations live: Jeremy Corbyn faces biggest leadership challenge so far

Britain's Labour Party in turmoil over Brexit vote results

Story highlights

  • Four senior Labour MPs resign from shadow cabinet, calling for new leadership
  • Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn won't resign, his spokesman says
London (CNN)The leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party has vowed not to step down amid challenges to his leadership as the fallout from the UK's momentous vote to leave the European Union continues.
Four senior MPs resigned from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet Sunday, and a fifth was sacked by Corbyn for reportedly plotting against his leadership in the wake of Britain's startling vote to leave the EU in last Thursday's referendum.
"There will be no resignation of a democratically elected leader with a strong mandate from the membership," a spokesman for Corbyn told CNN.
Under Britain's parliamentary system, the shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition MPs (members of Parliament) tasked with criticizing the government's policies; each is given a specific portfolio on which to act as spokesperson.

Plotting alleged

The turmoil began when Corbyn fired shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn from his shadow Cabinet on Sunday following reports that Benn was planning a coup against his leadership, Britain's Press Association reported.
British Labour MP Hilary Benn in London Sunday following his sacking from the shadow cabinet.
The agency quoted a Labour spokesman as saying: "Jeremy has sacked him on the grounds that he has lost confidence in him."
Benn described the events that led to his sacking to the BBC Sunday, saying it had become "increasingly clear that there is growing concern in the shadow cabinet, in the parliamentary Labour Party, about (Corbyn's) leadership."
"I said to him that I no longer had confidence in his leadership. He then dismissed me from the shadow cabinet, which is understandable, and I thanked him for having given me the opportunity to serve as shadow foreign secretary," he said.

MPs resign from shadow cabinet

Benn's sacking was swiftly followed by the resignations from the shadow cabinet of shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander, shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray, shadow education secretary Lucy Powell, and shadow secretary for environment, food and rural affairs Kerry McCarthy.
Alexander wrote in her resignation letter that in the wake of the referendum result, the country faced "unprecedented challenges," and she believed a change of leadership in the party was "essential."
"As much as I respect you as a man of principle, I do not believe you have the capacity to shape the answers our country is demanding and I believe that if we are to form the next Government, a change of leadership is essential," she wrote.
In his resignation letter, Murray wrote that the country faced a "deeply challenging time ahead" following the Leave vote, and required a "strong opposition."
"I do not believe that can be achieved under your leadership," he wrote.
Powell and McCarthy also cited the challenges created by the referendum result in deciding to resign.
Another prominent Labour MP, Chuka Umunna, tweeted his support for Benn, saying it was "crazy to sack him."
He followed this with a tweet saying: "Either you look your flaws in the face and address them or you stick your head in the sand, destroy the Labour Party and the country suffers."
Corbyn has canceled a speech scheduled to take place at the Glastonbury music festival Sunday, his spokesman told CNN.

Pressure mounts on Corbyn

Like Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, who announced his intention to resign Friday in the wake of the vote, the Labour Party campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU.
But Corbyn, who became leader of the Labour Party in September, has been criticized for his lackluster performance in campaigning for the "Remain" camp.
Pressure has been mounting for him to follow his rival Cameron and step down in the wake of the referendum result, which has fractured Britain's political establishment.
Corbyn's close ally and shadow Cabinet member MP Dianne Abbott tweeted Friday that the Labour leader's "position on Brexit was closer to the national mood than any other leader of a major party."

Divided kingdom

The EU referendum bitterly divided the nation, with 51.9% of voters casting their ballots to leave and 48.1% voting to remain.
The result was met with shock and anger in many quarters, sent the pound and markets plunging, and has left a leadership vacuum as the country faces an uncertain new future.
Speaking to British media Sunday, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said that Britain losing access to the European single market following the Brexit vote would be "catastrophic."
Some "Leave" voters have expressed regret about their choice, saying they did not realize the consequences would be so great, and an online petition calling on the government to hold have a second, "do-over" referendum on the issue has gathered more than 3 million signatures.
The "Leave" vote could lead to the fracturing of the United Kingdom itself.
Scotland -- whose voters backed remaining in the EU -- is likely to seek independence for a second time this decade as a result of the vote, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said. Speaking to BBC Scotland Sunday, she outlined an alternative approach, saying that Scottish MPs could try to veto the move to leave the EU.
Northern Ireland's vote for continued EU membership has similarly prompted a call by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness for a poll on a united Ireland.

No comments: