Labour will back a snap general election as soon as Brussels offers an extension of the UK’s membership of the EU, a leading ally of Jeremy Corbyn has declared.
Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon dismissed as “fantasy politics” the idea that an election could be delayed until after a second Brexit referendum was held.
Amid fresh infighting in the party over a winter polling day, Burgon also said Labour was “not in the business of leaving the Conservatives in power” for a day longer than necessary to avoid a no-deal exit.
Here's What Happens Now That Boris Johnson Has Been Forced To Request A Brexit Delay
Here's What Happens Now That Boris Johnson Has Been Forced To Request A Brexit DelayThe passing of the so-called Letwin amendment triggers another bit of legislation - the Benn act - which means Johnson must now write a letter to the EU asking for an Article 50 extension to January 31.
Jeremy Corbyn says Labour will back a public vote on Brexit -- though he doesn’t say exactly how. May didn’t secure any concessions from EU at At a weekly party meeting this evening, Corbyn is expected to also confirm Labour will back a cross-party effort led by lawmakers Yvette Cooper and
Labour said it will not back him until "no-deal Brexit is off the table". Speaking after a meeting of senior He added in a letter directly to Mr Corbyn : "It is our duty to end this nightmare and provide the country But shadow Commons leader Valerie Vaz said Labour would only back an election once
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More on this story:
LIVE: PM awaits EU decision on Brexit extension (Evening Standard)
Bercow under fire from Brexiteers over impartiality (PA)One step forward, two steps back - what's next? (Guardian)
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On Tuesday night, EU leaders were invited by European council president Donald Tusk to accept the UK government’s request for a three-month delay to the October 31 deadline for Brexit.
Once the 27 EU states agree their position, Boris Johnson is expected to move swiftly to demand a general election, daring Labour to risk rejecting a snap poll for the third time.
What next for Brexit? Follow key developments, expert analysis and multiple perspectives as the UK edges closer to leaving the EU
The Window for Brexit May Already Have Closed
The Window for Brexit May Already Have ClosedThe British people have changed their mind about Brexit. Beginning in the summer of 2017, and accelerating in the summer of 2018 by an ever wider margin, British people have said that they voted wrong in the Brexit referendum of June 2016.
Now EU leaders will consider whether to grant a delay to the 31 October Brexit deadline and what length it His opposite number, Labour 's Richard Burgon, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme his party EU Council President Donald Tusk said he would recommend European leaders backed an
MPs think that Labour will lose a snap poll - and their seats - and are refusing to back one. Today the PM will demand MPs back an early election to break the Brexit deadlock in Parliament - but wants them to push through his EU exit Corbyn - seen today - is still set to block an election Credit: EPA.
© PA Wire/PA Images Richard Burgon, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Asked if Labour would agree to an election if the EU approved an extension, Burgon told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Yes. Labour’s position is that as soon as no-deal is off the table we want a general election to get the Tories out as soon as possible.
“We are not in the business of leaving the Conservatives in power. They’ve been in power for nine years we want to get them out as soon as possible.”
Tensions over the election issue boiled over at Labour’s shadow cabinet meeting on Tuesday, with party chairman Ian Lavery rounding on Keir Starmer for trying to push the party into a position of putting a referendum before an election.
Burgon told the BBC: “I think that’s fantasy politics because a public vote cannot occur under the current arithmetic of parliament. Boris Johnson is not going to preside for nine months over preparations for and conduct of a public vote.”
Both Tories and Labour are split over a pre-Xmas election
Boris Johnson on Thursday called for another general election, but in truth he knows he won't get one - yet.Still it was a clever device to distract from the admission he'd rather bury. That he will break his "do or die" promise to leave the EU on 31 October.
Labour Brexit spokesman Paul Blomfield said : 'This plan shows contempt for our democracy. 'The Government is trying to avoid proper scrutiny and run And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn suggested the PM was 'running down the clock' on Brexit in the hope that MPs will be 'blackmailed' by the fear of
Times says extension could be to June if second referendum. Optimism growing that Johnson will get Brexit bill The Withdrawal Agreement Bill could begin its journey as soon as Tuesday, after Johnson makes Jeremy Corbyn ’s leadership is seeking safeguards over issues from the environment to workers’ rights. His key problem could lie in wooing back his allies in the Democratic Unionist Party
Sources told HuffPost UK that “the real argument” internally is over the timing of a snap poll rather than any sequencing.
Gallery: Leave vs Remain - Brexit reveals a divided UK (Photos)
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With the UK's withdrawal from the European Union (EU) experiencing various political complications, having now been delayed up to October 31, 2019, the country has seen increasing public discontent from both Leave and Remain supporters alike. Amidst a general air of uncertainty and ongoing frustration at the government's inability to mobilize a smooth withdrawal from the European bloc, demonstrators on both sides of the political spectrum have taken to the streets to give voice to their discontent. We look at some of the recent protests in pictures.
(Pictured) Anti-Brexit protesters take part in a 'Together for the Final Say' rally in Parliament Square as hundreds of thousands of people marched through central London to demand a public vote on the outcome of Brexit on Oct. 19 in London, England.
Sajid Javid admits Boris Johnson has failed to deliver Brexit by October 31 as EU says it won't decide on extension yet
Chancellor Sajid Javidhas admitted that Boris Johnson won’t be able to deliver Brexit by October 31, despite saying he would rather “be dead in a ditch” than fail to meet the deadline. Mr Javid told BBC Breakfast: “We have to accept we won’t be able to leave on October 31” but laid the blame firmly at the feet of Parliament and Jeremy Corbyn.
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Anti-Brexit demonstrators gather after taking part in a "People's Vote" protest march calling for another referendum on Britain's EU membership, in Parliament Square in London, England on Oct. 19.
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A pro-Brexit supporter sports dollar sign sunglasses amid huge anti-Brexit demonstrations across the city in London, England on Oct. 19.
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Demonstrators hold placards and EU and Union flags as they take part in a march by the People's Vote organisation in central London on Oct. 19, calling for a final say in a second referendum on Brexit.
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Protesters cheer during the People's Vote Rally in Parliament Square on Oct. 19 in London, England.
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Brexit supporters stand against a Union Jack while anti-Brexit protests took place across the capital, in London, England, on Oct. 19.
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A man walks past a 'Stop Brexit' placard fixed to railings on Abingdon Street outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England on Oct. 17.
This election is make or break for Boris Johnson and his Brexit dream
This election is make or break for Boris Johnson and his Brexit dreamBoris Johnson hasn't managed to give us a Brexit Halloween but this week parliament voted to give us a Christmas election instead.
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Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament as MPs return to their duties after prorogation was quashed by the Supreme Court judges on Sept. 25 in London, England.
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Brexit supporters protest outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England on Oct. 1.
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Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament on Sept. 25 in London, England.
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A pro-remain campaigner protests on Brighton Beach on day one of the Labour Party conference on Sept. 22 in Brighton, England.
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Pro-Brexit demonstrators wave the Union flag and hold placards outside the Supreme Court in central London, England, on the second day of the hearing into the decision by the government to prorogue parliament on Sept. 18.
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A man wearing an EU Flag hat plays drums in support of anti-Brexit protesters from a "Stop the Coup" protest outside Downing Street in central London, England on Aug. 31.
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Pro-Brexit demonstrators protest outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster in London, England on Sept. 9.
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Liberal Democrat MP Ed Davey poses with Steve Bray of the Stand of Defiance European Movement (SODEM) and pro-remain protesters outside Parliament in London, England on Sept. 9.
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Pro-Brexit protesters hold placards aloft near the Houses of Parliament in central London, England on Sept. 5, 2019.
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An anti-Brexit protestor releases colored smoke outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England on Aug. 28.
'The idea that we're all simple northerners is causing widespread offence': The people of Workington hit back at 'stereotypical' think-tank study by ex-David Cameron aide that paints them as key to winning next election
Men from Workington, a coastal town in the North West, today trashed the buzzword being used in Westminster, saying it describes someone from the 1970s, not 2019. © Provided by Associated Newspapers Limited But hotelier Grant Payne, 74, said other issues apart from Brexit would influence voters in the town Allan Mitchell, 53, a civil servant from Workington, said people from the area 'don't like being patronised' and the concept could backfire on the Tories.
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Protestors from the European Movement in Scotland hold a walking vigil on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland on Aug. 28.
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Pro-Brexit protesters at the Churchill statue in Westminster Square in London, England on Aug. 31.
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An anti-Brexit protester reacts during a protest outside Downing Street in London, England on Aug. 28.
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Brexit protesters outside Westminster in London, England on Aug. 28.
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A pro-Brexit activist, with legs covered in sun cream on a scorching day in London, England, holds a 'We Voted Leave' board outside the Houses of Parliament on July 24.
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A young British anti-Brexit protester advises his fellow supporters to disobey police attempts to remove them from Parliament Square in London, England on Aug. 28.
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Pro-EU supporters protest outside the Houses of Parliament on Aug. 28 in London, England.
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Pro-Brexit supporters walk through London, England on Aug. 29.
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A demonstrator waves an EU flag and Union Jack in front of a line of police officers outside Downing Street in London, England on Aug. 28.
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A pro-Brexit campaigner wears the Union flag colours and holds placards as he demonstrates near the Houses of Parliament in central London, England on April 3.
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Pro-EU demonstrators hold placards and EU flags as they protest outside the Houses of Parliament on April 10 in London, England.
The Power (and Limits) of Boris Johnson
The British leader’s efforts to reach a breakthrough on Brexit speak to the importance of personality when it comes to politics and foreign policy.Lister, 70, is an unassuming figure, besuited, gray-haired, respectable, like the head of a medium-size business. One of Johnson’s most trusted advisers from his time as London mayor, Lister is a stark contrast to the other central figure in Johnson’s administration, Dominic Cummings, an anarchic force of nature consumed by Brexit.
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People walk past EU and Union flags outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England on April 1.
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British politician Nigel Farage takes the stage to speak at a rally at Parliament Square after the final leg of the "March to Leave" in London on March 29.
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Anti-Brexit supporters protest outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England on April 1.
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A pro-Brexit protester holds a sign at a demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament on March 29.
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A far-right protester is detained by police during a pro-Brexit demonstration near the Houses of Parliament in London, England, on March 29.
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A man dressed as Darth Vader poses with a Union Jack near a pro-Brexit demonstration at Parliament Square in London on March 29.
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A young girl waves the European Flag in Green Park, London, during the Put It To The People March on March 23.
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Former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage takes part in the "March to Leave" walk in Mansfield, England, on March 23.
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People hold up placards and European Union flags as they pass Trafalgar Square on a march and rally organised by the pro-European People's Vote campaign for a second EU referendum in central London on March 23.
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Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage addresses marchers from the top of a bus at the start of the 'March to Leave' walk from the village of Linby to Beeston, Nottinghamshire on March 23 in Mansfield.
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EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal, participate in the 'People's Vote' march in central London on March 23.
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People gather in Linby for the 'March to Leave' walk on March 23.
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EU supporters participate in the 'People's Vote' march in central London, England on March 23.
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Pro-Brexit marchers in the village of Linby on March 23.
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People gather to take part in the 'Put It To The People' march on March 23 in London, England.
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'March to Leave' protesters set off from Linby village in Nottinghamshire towards London, England. The 14-day march began in Sunderland on March 16 and will end in the capital on March 29, where a mass rally will take place on Parliament Square.
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Protesters take part in the 'Put It To The People' march on Whitehall on March 23 in London, England.
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Nigel Farage reacts as he arrives at the end of the first leg of the March to Leave campaign on March 16 in Hartlepool, England.
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Pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit protesters hold flags as they demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London on March 14 as members debate a motion on whether to seek a delay to Britain's exit from the EU.
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Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London on March 13.
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Pro-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London on March 13.
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Anti-Brexit demonstrators protest in the rain ahead of the meaningful vote in Parliament in London on March 12.
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Anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray stands holding placards draped in a composite if the EU and Union flag outside the Houses of Parliament in London on March 4.
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Pro-Brexit activists march outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on Feb. 27.
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An anti-Brexit activist from the pressure group Our Future, Our Choice (OFOC) signs the campaign bus before a photocall in central London on Feb. 27.
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An anti-Brexit protester wearing a European Union flag cap, flies European and Union flags outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Feb. 21.
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A remain in the European Union supporter and member of the "Our Future, Our Choice" (OFOC) young people against Brexit organisation campaigning for a People's Vote second referendum on Britain's EU membership poses for photographs after taking part in a protest against a blindfold Brexit on Parliament Square opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, England on Feb. 14.
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A man stands near a 'Leave Means Leave' banner as pro-Brexit activists demonstrate outside of the Houses of Parliament in central London on Feb. 14.
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Caroline Lucas MP speaks during an anti-Brexit protest outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Feb. 13.
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Pro-Brexit activists hold placards and wave Union flags as they demonstrate outside of the Houses of Parliament in London on Jan. 29.
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A pro-Brexit activist (L) holding a placard and wearing a union flag-themed shirt talks with an anti-Brexit demonstrator holding an EU flagas they protest near the Houses of Parliament in London on Jan. 29.
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The Border Communities Against Brexit group hold an anti-Brexit protest on Jan. 26 in Louth, Ireland.
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“Some of us think an election in November or December would really piss off the public,” one shadow minister said. “And we need time to build an election campaign on our terms, not be bounced into a short, sharp one on his terms.”
Although some Corbyn allies think a February election is inevitable, other senior figures in the party want a May election to cut costs and boost turnout in the local and mayoral elections.
They believe that if the EU holds off its decision until next week, a November polling day is impossible, leaving a December 12 date as the other unattractive option in the run-up to Christmas.
Justice secretary Robert Buckland confirmed on Wednesday morning that a winter election was the government’s preference.
“However inhospitable and cold the weather might be that seems to me to be the way to break this impasse,” he said.
Some Tory Scottish MPs this week privately warned the PM against a mid-winter poll. Stirling MP Stephen Kerr told the BBC’s World Tonight he was preparing for a November election but any later would be unwise.
“I really would have doubts about a December election. We have tried the patience of people so much this year as a political group at Westminster, to put a general election into the Christmas month I think would be a push too far.”
Some ministers believe that a snap election can be postponed to the spring if the PM gets his Brexit deal through parliament in coming weeks.
Burgon revealed that Labour whips were in talks with their Tory counterparts over plans to give the Withdrawal Agreement Bill more time. “I would have thought it could be done in a matter of weeks, but it’s not for me to decide,” he said.
Johnson paused the bill on Tuesday night after plans to fast-track it through the Commons in just three days were defeated by 14 votes. The Queen’s Speech debate will continue instead.
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Supporters of the so-called People's Vote campaign group gathered at Park Lane (left) before marching on the Palace of Westminster for a mass rally.Supporters of the so-called People's Vote campaign group have marched on the Palace of Westminster for a mass rally which has drawn tens of thousands from across the UK. 
Here's What Happens Now That Boris Johnson Has Been Forced To Request A Brexit DelayThe passing of the so-called Letwin amendment triggers another bit of legislation - the Benn act - which means Johnson must now write a letter to the EU asking for an Article 50 extension to January 31. 
The Window for Brexit May Already Have ClosedThe British people have changed their mind about Brexit. Beginning in the summer of 2017, and accelerating in the summer of 2018 by an ever wider margin, British people have said that they voted wrong in the Brexit referendum of June 2016. 
Boris Johnson on Thursday called for another general election, but in truth he knows he won't get one - yet.Still it was a clever device to distract from the admission he'd rather bury. That he will break his "do or die" promise to leave the EU on 31 October. 
Chancellor Sajid Javidhas admitted that Boris Johnson won’t be able to deliver Brexit by October 31, despite saying he would rather “be dead in a ditch” than fail to meet the deadline. Mr Javid told BBC Breakfast: “We have to accept we won’t be able to leave on October 31” but laid the blame firmly at the feet of Parliament and Jeremy Corbyn. 
This election is make or break for Boris Johnson and his Brexit dreamBoris Johnson hasn't managed to give us a Brexit Halloween but this week parliament voted to give us a Christmas election instead. 
Men from Workington, a coastal town in the North West, today trashed the buzzword being used in Westminster, saying it describes someone from the 1970s, not 2019. © Provided by Associated Newspapers Limited But hotelier Grant Payne, 74, said other issues apart from Brexit would influence voters in the town Allan Mitchell, 53, a civil servant from Workington, said people from the area 'don't like being patronised' and the concept could backfire on the Tories. 
The British leader’s efforts to reach a breakthrough on Brexit speak to the importance of personality when it comes to politics and foreign policy.Lister, 70, is an unassuming figure, besuited, gray-haired, respectable, like the head of a medium-size business. One of Johnson’s most trusted advisers from his time as London mayor, Lister is a stark contrast to the other central figure in Johnson’s administration, Dominic Cummings, an anarchic force of nature consumed by Brexit. 
Thousands of anti-Brexit protesters gather in London to march on Parliament as 
Here's What Happens Now That Boris Johnson Has Been Forced To Request A Brexit 
The Window for Brexit May Already Have Closed 
Both Tories and Labour are split over a pre-Xmas election 
Sajid Javid admits Boris Johnson has failed to deliver Brexit by October 31 as 
This election is make or break for Boris Johnson and his Brexit dream 
'The idea that we're all simple northerners is causing widespread offence':... 
The Power (and Limits) of Boris Johnson 
