Jeremy Corbyn has laid out his plan to stop a no-deal Brexit, calling on other parties to back him in the formation of a temporary government. The responses have been both telling and hilarious.
But one ‘party’ in particular should win the award for the most ludicrous reaction. And it’s not the Lib Dems (hard as that party may have tried).
You can’t be serious?
Corbyn has proposed a plan to oust Boris Johnson as PM via a vote of no confidence. He then wants MPs’ backing to form a temporary government that would block a no-deal Brexit (by extending Article 50) and call a general election. Naturally, Johnson’s government isn’t a fan of the idea. But a number of opposition parties, including the Greens and the SNP, have said they’re open to the idea. In line with the Tory government, however, the Lib Dems have come out against Corbyn’s plan.
My appeal to @JoSwinson to reconsider her response to Corbyn's approach on stopping a disastrous No Deal #Brexit pic.twitter.com/47xVDpUoMf
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) August 15, 2019
Another small grouping of MPs have also criticised Corbyn’s plan. Not because of the substance of it, but because he didn’t invite them to the party:
This is a stunt. If you were making a serious proposal Corbyn would have written to all opposition parties. But significantly he did not write to @ForChange_Now @Anna_Soubry. Why not ? https://t.co/nYxKT0CXlT
— Mike Gapes ⚒🇺🇦🇬🇧 (@MikeGapes) August 15, 2019
You’d be forgiven for wondering what on earth this Mike Gapes character is talking about. The party Gapes is referring to is the Independent Group for Change; a five-MP-strong grouping more readily remembered for when it called itself the Independent Group (TIG). It then changed its name to Change UK before the latest incarnation. The influx and departure of MPs to and from the party has been as variable and short-lived as its names.
Other members, meanwhile, tweeted:
1/4 I am disappointed Jeremy Corbyn did not include me in his letter especially as there are five MP members of our party.
Our exclusion and the preference for a General Election rather than an immediate People’s Vote leads me to conclude this is nothing more than a stunt.— Anna Soubry 🇬🇧🏴🇺🇦🇪🇺🖤🤍 (@Anna_Soubry) August 14, 2019
I oppose a no-deal Brexit because it puts jobs at risks, devalues our currency, sees businesses leave the UK, divides society & undermines national security.
I oppose a hard left Government under Corbyn for the same reasons. https://t.co/Zp6CxAj0T2
— Chris Leslie (@ChrisLeslieUK) August 15, 2019
Who?
People were only too happy to point out to Gapes and his party exactly why they thought Corbyn had made this ‘significant’ omission:
https://twitter.com/jshopson/status/1161957838748618752
https://twitter.com/BlazeQuark/status/1161950708817678336
https://twitter.com/oprah48/status/1161951707124908033
One commentator, though, perhaps answered Gapes’ outrage most sufficiently, and succinctly:
Who ?
— J T Beckett CEng MCIBSE 💙 💚 (@carbonsaveruk) August 15, 2019
True colours
The response to Corbyn’s proposal has been eye-opening. It’s essentially forced parties to unmask. Jo Swinson’s party has shown itself to be the same animal many learnt about the hard way in 2010: a coldblooded, Conservative-leaning horror show that will always put itself first. The ‘Independent Group for Change’, meanwhile, has revealed that it’s most definitely not up for change. It’s also shown that, for a tiny group of MPs, it has one hell of an ego and a very ropey grip on reality.
Good luck selling that in the next general election.
Featured image via The Guardian/YouTube
