Corbyn’s ‘democratic’ and ‘healing’ Brexit stance backed at Labour conference

Jeremy Corbyn
The Canary


The Labour Party conference has backed leader Jeremy Corbyn’s policy of remaining neutral on Brexit until after a general election. Supporters have insisted that his stance is ‘democratic’ and ‘healing’.

Corbyn has promised that a government he leads will negotiate a new Brexit deal and put it to a referendum, but he has so far resisted calls to say how the party should campaign in that public vote.

Delegates at the conference in Brighton backed a statement setting out his position and broke out into a chorus of “oh, Jeremy Corbyn” after the result of the vote was announced.

The conference then rejected a motion which would have called on Labour to come out in support of Remain now rather than waiting until after an election.

Related articles

The result is a boost for Mr Corbyn, who has argued that Labour should go into the expected general election without making a decision on how it should campaign on the referendum his party has promised within six months of taking office.

A decision on how the party would campaign in the referendum would be taken at a subsequent special conference.

Supporters of the plan praised its passing, especially as Labour’s Conservative and Liberal Democrat opponents have taken positions appealing very clearly to only one side of the Brexit debate:

The vote came after shadow cabinet ministers Emily Thornberry and Sir Keir Starmer both used their keynote conference speeches to say they would back Remain.

We need your help ...

The coronavirus pandemic is changing our world, fast. And we will do all we can to keep bringing you news and analysis throughout. But we are worried about maintaining enough income to pay our staff and minimal overheads.

Now, more than ever, we need a vibrant, independent media that holds the government to account and calls it out when it puts vested economic interests above human lives. We need a media that shows solidarity with the people most affected by the crisis – and one that can help to build a world based on collaboration and compassion.

We have been fighting against an establishment that is trying to shut us down. And like most independent media, we don’t have the deep pockets of investors to call on to bail us out.

Can you help by chipping in a few pounds each month?

The Canary Support us
  • Show Comments

    2. At a time when the most right wing elitist government in history is tearing itself and the country apart, Corbyn is their only chance of staying in power.
      And what happened to Corbyn representing the views of the membership?

      Report comment

    3. It’s good to give people a vote, and I suppose by taking the Brexit issue out of the discussion into a neutral stance until after an election which ought to decide many things. As in who was voted back in.
      But when is the Election? Before of after Oct.31?
      I suppose it no longer matters?
      The Tories have been very successful in doing everything possible not to have an election at all.
      So how is it people can have a vote?

      Report comment

    4. Corbyn has played this absolutely right. As long as he goes into the election promising to negotiate the best deal available and to put that to the people against remain why would he take a stand now which will alienate leavers and show the Eu that there’s not much point in negotiating a proper deal. Once we have the deal then I would expect Labour to point out the pros and cons of both and advise voters which they think is best. Then Labour will have done its job properly and democracy has won the day.

      Report comment

    Leave a Reply

    Join the conversation

    Please read our comment moderation policy here.

Related articles