Pro-Europeans should be thrilled that the Labour leader won’t take sides in a referendum. It’s not as if he would be an asset if he was on our side.
Jeremy Corbyn finally came off the fence last night about what he’d do in a referendum. He’ll sit firmly on the fence. He told a BBC Question Time audience: “I will adopt a neutral stance so that I can credibly carry out the results.”
Other party leaders have predictably lambasted Corbyn. Jo Swinson accused him of an “abdication of leadership”.
But for pro-Europeans, the key point is that Labour is committed to holding a referendum. That’s far more important than the position that Corbyn himself might have taken in such a vote.
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Indeed, his decision to sit on the fence is a blessing in disguise. In the 2016 referendum, he campaigned for Remain. But he was so lacklustre that he was a liability.
If Corbyn said he was enthusiastic to stay in the EU in a future referendum, few would believe him. It’s much better that he won’t be hogging the limelight by taking part in debates or key interviews. Labour figures who passionately care about our EU membership – such as Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry – will get air time instead.
An added benefit of Corbyn’s neutrality is that there’s no need for Labour to hold another conference to figure out what it thinks. At their September conference, the party decided to have such a “special conference” after they had negotiated a new deal with the EU – assuming, that is, they win the election. But there is no mention of such a conference in its manifesto.
This is good because Labour has rightly set itself a tight timetable of negotiating a new deal with the EU and holding a referendum within six months of the election. Holding a special conference in the midst of the process would make it harder to hit the deadline.
Labour politicians will now presumably be free to campaign as they wish in a referendum – and the vast majority will back staying in the EU.
Some pro-Europeans will say this isn’t good enough – and advocate backing the Lib Dems everywhere in the coming election. But this is misguided. The best we can hope for is a hung parliament leading to a referendum. We must focus unemotionally on that goal.
That means voting tactically. Back the candidate with the best chance of defeating the Tories wherever you live, so long as they support a referendum.
