Jeremy Corbyn faces Labour mutiny as party heavyweights declare war on ‘Brexit fudge’ and demand they back Remain

CLUELESS Jeremy Corbyn faced outright mutiny on Brexit last night as Labour went into nuclear meltdown over Soviet-style plots, coups and threats of brutal purges.

The Labour leader was humiliated at his party conference after party big beasts declared war on his “Brexit fudge” and demanded they back Remain.

Emily Thornberry warned Labour will be hammered in the election unless they stop sitting on the fence.

And Labour London mayor Sadiq Khan savaged Mr Corbyn’s lack of leadership as he warned that staying neutral “is not an option”.

But Corbyn attack dog and union boss Len McCluskey openly slammed Ms Thornberry for her disloyalty and said Remainer frontbenchers should quit.

Meanwhile, a fierce row erupted over what Brexit position will be debated by activists on the party conference floor today.

And Jeremy Corbyn was sent reeling by the shock resignation of a key hard left aide – after a botched bid to take out deputy leader Tom Watson.

Gleeful Tories compared Labour’s bungling mismanagement of the crisis to “the mess the Soviets got into over Chernobyl.”

One said: “Our biggest problem Is we need Corbyn to stick around - he's so woeful it’s great.”

EXPLOSION OF PLOTS & MUTINY

The explosive in-fighting erupted on a torrid day for Labour which saw:

• Mr Corbyn refused nine times to say if he would back Leave or Remain in another vote
• A devastating opinion poll put the Tories 15 points ahead in the polls
• Labour voted to abolish private schools – and sell off all their assets and playing fields
• The party was rocked by fresh anti-Semitism row as racist posters were hung outside conference
• The Labour boss was forced to deny he was on the verge of quitting, branding speculation “wishful thinking”

After a couple of months of fragile peace, Labour’s bitter civil war reignited just as their party conference kicked off in Brighton.

Appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show yesterday, dithering Mr Corbyn said he wants to negotiate a new Brexit deal if he becomes PM.

But he refused nine times to say if he would back it and leave – or campaign to stay in Brussels.

Instead, he drew up a massively controversial plan to delay Labour picking a side on Brexit until “after Labour have won an election”.

The simple truth is, whatever anyone says, that Labour is a Remain party

Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson

He told the BBC: “We will put both views and say look, this is the best deal we can get. This is the Remain and hopefully reform option.”

But he was fiercely attacked by a string of shadow cabinet ministers who demanded Labour comes out full force for Remain.

Mr Watson – who survived an aborted attempt to oust him as deputy party leader after he defied Mr Corbyn on Brexit – came out swinging.

To applause, he told a Remainer rally: “The simple truth is, whatever anyone says, that Labour is a Remain party.”

And in a swipe at Momentum boss Jon Lansman for trying to oust him, he said: “Apparently, the reason Jon Lansman tried to abolish me is because of my support for Remain.

“Well I have got one message for Jon Lansman, I’m remaining. I might have lost a bit of weight – but I’m no push over.”

Ms Thornberry also piled in, warning the party could haemorrhage a third of their votes to the Greens and Lib Dems.

She compared Labour’s crisis to the famous scene in Star Wars where heroes are being squeezed from both sides by the trash compactor.

She said: "I keep running through lots of films where you get the hero standing in the middle and the walls are coming in..it's been in Star Wars where they're in the crusher.

"And the answer is not to just stand there and go 'oh, well, I'm right'. The answer is to get out of there.

"And that's kind of where we are with these two sides pushing us and pushing our vote."

She blasted critics who accused her of disloyalty, saying Labour risks being trounced in a general election if they fail to come up with a position on Brexit.

And she said Labour must “lead the campaign to remain.”

In a blistering attack on the leadership, Mr Khan told a fringe event activists should not accept another “Brexit fudge”.

BREXIT FUDGE TURNING TOXIC

He stormed: “Labour is a Remain party and we need to make this official by making it our policy to campaign to stay in the European Union under all circumstances - and to whip all our MPs to back that position.

“Staying neutral in the face of the biggest economic and social threat to our country for decades is simply not an option.”

But Mr McCluskey, a close ally of Mr Corbyn and boss of Unite, blasted Labour frontbenchers for being disloyal to the Labour leader.

In a furious tirade, he told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “Everybody needs to be singing from the same hymn sheet.

“Now if the leadership team, the Cabinet, the Shadow Cabinet soon to be the Cabinet, find that difficult then yes, they should step aside.”

And the ferocious Brexit row looks set to dominate Labour conference again today as the leadership clash with Remainer activists over their position.

The level of chaos is beginning to resemble Chernobyl

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith

The Corbyn-controlled ruling NEC last night controversially agreed a statement to delay picking a side in the Brexit debate until after a general election.

But anti Brexit activists last night vowed to “fight to the death” to force conference to vote on becoming an all-out Remain backing party.

They were meeting late into the night to whittle down the nearly 100 different Brexit motions to one or two versions to be voted on today.

One Labour insider at the meeting told The Sun: “A few days ago we might have compromised with Corbyn, but we are furious. He has run roughshod over party democracy by ramming through is NEC statement.

“We are going to go hell for leather for a Remain position now.”

Another Labour source told The Sun: “It is going to be a bloodbath on the conference floor tomorrow.”

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith mocked Labour over the Brexit chaos.

He told The Sun: "The chaos, confusion and complete denial begins to resemble what happens in totalitarian regimes when they get found out.

"Everybody remembers the mess the Soviets got into over Chernobyl.

“The level of chaos is beginning to resemble Chernobyl."

• GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk