Cable’s “Bollocks to Brexit” far better than Corbyn fudge

Let me say this right up front. When the votes are counted after the European Parliament elections, we will include those who backed Labour in the tally of parties who are in favour of a People’s Vote. After all, the party has twice whipped in favour of a public vote in Parliament – and is likely to do so again.

But if you want to stop Brexit, it is best to vote on May 23 for the Lib Dems who say “Bollocks to Brexit” or the Greens, SNP, Change UK or Plaid Cymru – not Labour.

These are five parties with strong anti-Brexit messages. Corbyn, by contrast, is standing in the middle of the road trying to appeal to both pro- and anti-Europeans. If he gets run over by both – as he did in last week’s local elections – he has nobody to blame but himself.

Look at the difference in how two of the parties are launching their European election campaigns today. The Lib Dems are emblazoning “Bollocks to Brexit” on their leaflets.

By contrast, Corbyn said today: “The real divide in our country is not how people voted in the EU referendum. The real divide is between the many and the few,” while adding that the party backs the “option” of a public vote if a “sensible” Brexit deal cannot be agreed and there is not a general election.

There are, of course, many wonderful pro-European Labour candidates in this election. In an ideal world, they would be sitting in the European Parliament.

But if Corbyn is rewarded by voters for last week’s mealy-mouthed manifesto, he may continue to sit on the fence about whether to stop Brexit. Pro-Europeans need to send him a strong message that he won’t get their votes if he does.

This is especially important because we could well end up with a general election this year. Corbyn must realise that, if he goes into that with a fudged Brexit position, he won’t win.

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Note from the editor-in-chief: Many Labour supporters will be unhappy with this column – as they were with my column last week arguing that pro-Europeans should not vote for the party. All I can say is that InFacts is a non-partisan journalistic enterprise making the fact-based case against Brexit without fear or favour – and, for the reasons given in both articles, I believe that the best way of advancing our cause is not to reward Corbyn for his mealy-mouthed manifesto.

We are not anti-Labour. Indeed, I would have urged pro-Europeans to swing behind the party if its manifesto had not been a fudge. I said so clearly in this piece just before the manifesto was published. I could also imagine doing so in the future – if Labour clearly backed a referendum or staying in the EU in a general election.

Some readers have also questioned how InFacts can take a “don’t vote Labour” line in the European Parliament elections when other parts of the People’s Vote alliance are saying different things. The answer is that the People’s Vote is an umbrella group – and InFacts is not campaigning with other parts of the alliance in the European elections.