More Westminster tremors: Another Labour MP quits

Tremors continued to jolt the corridors of power on Friday with Ian Austin becoming the ninth party MP to resign within a week, using the uncertainty surrounding Brexit to make the move on the ground of lack of confidence in the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

Austin, MP from Dudley North in the west Midlands, came down heavily on Corbyn and the party’s record on dealing with anti-semitism, but said he would not join the newly formed Independent Group comprising eight former Labour MPs and three Conservative MPs.

Prime Minister Theresa May was bracing for another Brexit-related crucial week. After failing to secure new concessions from EU leaders in Brussels, she is to face another meaningful vote on her Plan B on Wednesday, with little progress on the basics to change minds.

May has been warned that several of her cabinet members and party MPs would revolt if the government veers towards leaving the European Union on March 29 without an agreement. She has so far offered MPs the choice between her controversial deal and a no-deal exit.

A no-deal exit is considered more debilitating to Britain’s economy that has already seen a downturn in GDP since the 2016 referendum. Government departments, businesses and individuals have been stockpiling medicines, goods and other material, anticipating severe problems in a no-deal situation.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said after meeting May, “If no-deal were to happen, and I cannot exclude this, this would have terrible economic and social consequences in Britain and on the continent, so my efforts are oriented in a way that the worst can be avoided”.

First Published: Feb 22, 2019 18:19 IST