CORBYN'S QT LIE EXPOSED

A damning video appeared following Corbyn's appearance on the Question Time special on Friday night.  During the show Corbyn was taken to task on anti-Semitism by a member of the audience, in particular his interaction with a far left thug in 2016.  The question related to an incident in which Jewish MP Ruth Smeeth walked out of a Labour event to mark the launch of the Chakrabarti Inquiry.  Hard left activist Marc Wadsworth had accused her of working with 'right-wing' press against the party leadership.  Wadsworth was later expelled, but continues to back Corbyn.

The Great Leader responded to the audience member's accusation by admitting that he said 'hello' to Wadsworth, but in fact he did much more than that as the video revealed.  "I'll send you a text" Corbyn tells Wadsworth who responds moments later by announcing "I outed Smeeth".  They may as well have high-fived.

SMEETH TO CLING ON

Labour MP Ruth Smeeth has given an emotional response to Louise Ellman's resignation.  Smeeth, who is also Jewish, spoke out in an interview published on her social media accounts.  She says she is not ready to give up on Labour (yet) and could well be the last remaining female Jewish MP for Labour after the next election - Corbyn's footsoldiers are currently trying to dislodge Margaret Hodge in Barking.  Smeeth has not been targeted for deselection (yet), but her suggestion that she may vote for Boris Johnson's Brexit deal on Saturday may well be the trigger.

THE LABOUR 19

Nineteen Labour MPs have written to the EU imploring that they come to an agreement with our government as "the British people have become exasperated with Parliamentary deadlock".  Well, they're not wrong there!  The letter, addressed to Jean-Claude Juncker (and a copy also sent to Donald Tusk), can be seen below.  Click to enlarge.

The letter has been denounced by Labour Remainers who are furious that Labour MPs - elected on a manifesto that stated that "Labour accepts the referendum result" - should have the barefaced cheek and audacity to uphold said result and party manifesto!  "What planet are you all on" blasts 

@annikahjelmskog.  "Gobsmacked and very scared this is coming from Labour MPs elected on a Corbyn manifesto" moans @linda_whyman, apparently oblivious to the actual manifesto they were elected on.  "You don't speak for me or most Labour supporters" says @fliss59, obviously forgetting that an overwhelming number of Labour constituencies voted Leave.

The nineteen MPs who signed the above letter are as follows, including constituency and Leave/Remain vote.

Kevin Barron (Rother Valley) 67% Leave

Sarah Champion (Rotherham) 68% Leave

Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire) 55% Leave

Jon Cruddas (Dagenham & Rainham) 70% Leave

Gloria De Piero (Ashfield) 70% Leave

Jim Fitzpatrick (Poplar & Limehouse) 66% Remain

Caroline Flint (Don Valley) 68% Leave

Yvonne Fovargue (Makerfield) 65% Leave

Dan Jarvis (Barnsley Central) 68% Leave

Stephen Kinnock (Aberavon) 60% Leave

Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) 62% Leave

Justin Madders (Ellesmere Port & Neston) 58% Leave

Grahame Morris (Easington) 66% Leave

Melanie Onn (Great Grimsby) 71% Leave

Stephanie Peacock (Barnsley East) 71% Leave

Lucy Powell (Manchester Central) 64% Remain

Ruth Smeeth (Stoke-on-Trent North) 72% Leave

Laura Smith (Crewe & Nantwich) 60% Leave

Gareth Snell (Stoke-on Trent Central) 65% Leave

THE LABOUR 26

26 Labour MPs wrote to Corbyn today imploring him not to back a second referendum.  The letter (see below, click to enlarge) warns of the potential threat to Labour in Leave-voting seats, primarily from the Brexit Party.  The MPs explicitly state that "Brexit must happen.  The UK must leave..."

There are only two Brexiteers among the signatures (Mann, Skinner), the overwhelming majority being Remainers who are trying desperately to save their own Parliamentary skins.  How else to explain the presence of Stephen Kinnock, a man whose family made millions from being at the heart of the EU beast?  Having just seen the Brexit Party come from nowhere to almost snatch Peterborough, Stevie is clearly worried that the Brexit heartlands in south Wales are under threat from this new phenomenon.  Furthermore, he hasn't got thousands of Muslim postal votes to back him up either.

The only MP representing a Remain seat on the list is Jim Fitzpatrick, an MP who backed May's deal at the third time of asking.  Dan 'Two Jobs' Jarvis is also on the list, surely the gravy train robber is not looking to stand again at the next election?  Nothing would surprise in the shameless world of Westminster.

This is the full list of signatories, complete with their constituency referendum votes.

Kevin Barron (Rother Valley - 67% Leave)
Sarah Champion (Rotherham - 68% Leave)
Julie Cooper (Burnley - 67% Leave)
Rosie Cooper (West Lancs - 55% Leave)
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham & Rainham - 70% Leave)
Gloria De Piero (Ashfield - 70% Leave)
Jim Fitzpatrick (Poplar & Limehouse - 66% Remain)
Caroline Flint (Don Valley - 68% Leave)
Yvonne Fovargue (Makerfield - 65% Leave)
Mary Glindon (North Tyneside - 60% Leave)
Mike Hill (Hartlepool - 70% Leave)
Dan Jarvis (Barnsley Central - 68% Leave)
Stephen Kinnock (Aberavon - 60% Leave)
Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields - 62% Leave)
Justin Madders (Ellesmere Port & Neston - 58% Leave)
John Mann (Bassetlaw - 68% Leave)
Jim McMahon (Oldham West & Royton - 61% Leave)
Grahame Morris (Easington - 66% Leave)
Lisa Nandy (Wigan - 63% Leave)
Melanie Onn (Great Grimsby - 71% Leave)
Stephanie Peacock (Barnsley East - 71% Leave)
Jo Platt (Leigh - 63% Leave)
Dennis Skinner (Bolsover - 70% Leave)
Laura Smith (Crewe & Nantwich - 60% Leave)
Ruth Smeeth (Stoke-on-Trent North - 72% Leave)
Gareth Snell (Stoke-on-Trent Central - 65% Leave)

NO HONOURABLE THING RUTH

When we announced on Facebook that only two Labour MPs had consistently respected the Leave vote throughout last week's round of treacherous amendments, someone piped up that we were wrong because there was a Stoke-on-Trent MP that had done the same.  They had obviously watched the news and heard that Ruth Smeeth (Stoke-on-Trent North) had resigned from Corbyn's front bench in order to defy party whips and vote against a second referendum.

However, this was the only vote Smeeth had cast in favour of Brexit all week.  She voted to reject no deal - indefinitely - and also voted to extend Article 50.  Smeeth is no Brexiteer, but if our Facebook follower is anything to go by, she managed to fool some into thinking she had done an honourable thing.  What she did was a cynical act of self-preservation.

Stoke-on-Trent returned some of the highest Leave votes in the entire country, but none more so than Smeeth's constituency.  Only six places in the UK produced a higher Leave vote than Stoke-on-Trent North, a fact not lost on its Remain MP.  Another key factor in her deception is her faltering majority, cut in half between 2015 and 2017, despite the national swing to Labour.  In fact Labour's majority in this seat has been slashed significantly in every single general election since 1997.  Back then it was a safe Labour seat with a huge 17,392 majority.  The Conservatives were a distant second, but at the last election they were just 2,359 votes behind.

Clearly Ruth Smeeth is a pro-Brexit Tory candidate away from defeat at the next election.  All of a sudden her headline grabbing resignation makes perfect sense.  It was nothing to do with 'honouring the vote'.

All five of those who resigned from Corbyn's front bench in order to oppose a second referendum also voted to extend Article 50 and block no deal.  It doesn't take a genius to work out why these Remain MPs appeared to have a sudden 'attack of conscience' when voting on the loser's amendment...

Yvonne Fovargue - Makerfield - 65% Leave

Emma Lewell-Buck - South Shields - 62% Leave

Justin Madders - Ellesmere Port & Neston - 58% Leave

Stephanie Peacock - Barnsley East - 71% Leave

Ruth Smeeth - Stoke-on-Trent North - 72% Leave

FIVE QUIT LABOUR'S FRONT BENCH

Corbyn has tonight lost five members of his front bench over the second referendum amendment.  Ironically the amendment was proposed by Sarah Wollaston of the Independent Group, so one way or another Chuka is still giving his former party a few digs.

The five resignations were all triggered by Labour's cowardly policy of abstention, itself a u-turn on a u-turn.  Having recently come out in support of a second referendum, when it came to it they bottled it.  Or did they?  There are reports tonight that Corbyn and Starmer have held discussions with two backbenchers - Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson - about a deal they have proposed in which Labour would back May's deal in exchange for a second referendum.

The resigning frontbenchers who rebelled against the abstention decision are as follows.

Yvonne Fovargue (Makerfield - 65% Leave)
Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields - 62% Leave)
Justin Madders (Ellesemere Port & Neston - 58% Leave)
Stephanie Peacock (Barnsley East - 71% Leave)
Ruth Smeeth (Stoke-on-Trent North - 72% Leave)

All five voted to oppose a second referendum.  However, they are not Brexiteers and they have consistently voted to frustrate Brexit in all the other votes this week.  Looking at the Leave votes in their constituencies there are no prizes for guessing why they decided a second referendum was a step too far...

I've resigned from Labour's front bench this evening in order to vote against a second referendum. This was a difficult decision but I have a duty to support the will of my constituents. We need to leave, and leave with a deal that works for the Potteries https://t.co/yOtP1jWsmS

— Ruth Smeeth MP (@RuthSmeeth) March 14, 2019

It is with deep regret I tonight resigned from Labour’s front bench, because I believe we should respect the result of the 2016 vote to leave the European Union: pic.twitter.com/oPGwMp974U

— Stephanie Peacock (@Steph_Peacock) March 14, 2019