Jeremy Corbyn ‘plots coalition of chaos’ as he softens terms for Remainer pact to block No Deal Brexit
JEREMY Corbyn was accused of plotting a “coalition of chaos” as he offered to soften his terms of a pact with Remainer parties to block a No Deal Brexit.
The Labour boss will host a crunch meeting with the leaders of five pro-Remain parties in Parliament on Tuesday morning in a bid to unite around a strategy to block a No Deal Brexit.
And they will be joined by Remainer MPs from across all parties at Church House — where MPs gathered during World War II — to sign a joint declaration agreeing to form an alternative Parliament if Mr Johnson decides to suspend Parliament in order to force through a No Deal Brexit.
Until Monday night Mr Corbyn had insisted that only a no-confidence vote followed by him taking over as caretaker PM would succeed in stopping Boris Johnson delivering a No Deal on October 31.
But the Lib Dems say the prospect of installing the hard-left Labour leader in No10 would deter Tory MPs from backing the motion.
They have called for another figure — such as veteran Tory MP Ken Clarke or Labour’s Harriet Harman — to be a caretaker PM until No Deal is averted.
Meanwhile the SNP and the Change UK party back yet another route to block No Deal — by trying to change the law to extend Article 50 and hold a second referendum.
On Monday night there were signs Mr Corbyn is ready to back down over his red line.
He reiterated that a General Election was the “simplest and most democratic way to stop No Deal” but said he would not rule out other options to avoid it.
He said: “I’ll discuss all these options with the leaders of other opposition parties. I hope we can come to a good working arrangement and bring on board others across Parliament who see the danger of a No Deal crash out.”
But on Monday night Mr Johnson launched a pre-emptive strike against the Corbyn-led talks, accusing him of plotting to “renege, reject, revoke the mandate of the people”.
The PM added: “And I cannot think of anything worse for democracy or for trust in politics and I very much hope that does not happen.”
Tory party chairman James Cleverly said it was the latest evidence that Mr Corbyn will “do anything to try and block delivering the change that British people voted for in the referendum”.
'CHAOS, DELAY AND UNCERTAINTY'
He added: “The alternative to delivering Brexit is Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street; a man who would wreck the economy, break up our Union, is soft on crime and won’t stand up for Britain. All Corbyn offers is chaos, delay and uncertainty.”
Tory Brexiteer Andrew Bridgen blasted: “Corbyn is trying to rally his coalition of chaos to make his dreams of an October revolution a reality and get himself into No10 without ever winning an election in true Marxist style.
“He leads a Labour Party where two thirds of their seats voted Leave and the policy is now to stop Brexit at all cost, with the help of the SNP, who love referendums but hate the results.
“The Lib Dems who propose a policy of a second referendum but who would only accept a remain result and a rag tag rabble of democracy deniers, defectors and by-election dodgers.”
To add to the chaos, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price released a statement on Monday night saying his party cannot back Mr Corbyn unless he makes an “unqualified commitment” to remain in the EU.
Meanwhile on Monday night Mr Johnson refused to express confidence in pro-Remain Speaker John Bercow, who has pledged to do everything he can to help Remainer MPs stop a No Deal Brexit.
It comes ahead of a series of Parliamentary showdowns over Brexit in the Commons next month.
Mr Bercow has been heavily criticised from a number of Eurosceptic Tory MPs over his pro-Remain bias in key Commons votes.
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Mr Johnson said it was not the PM's role to comment on the performance of a Commons Speaker.
But in what is likely to be seen by some as a thinly veiled swipe at Mr Bercow, Mr Johnson called on all parliamentarians to respect the will of voters on Brexit.
Mr Johnson said: “It is not the function of the Prime Minister to express confidence in the Speaker.”
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