Peter Kenyon

Would you be cross if Brexit was cancelled?

This question haunts the frontbenchers of both the Conservative government and Her Majesty's loyal opposition, the Labour Party. With less than 60 hours to go before the planned Meaningful Vote (MV) on Prime Minister Theresa May's blind Brexit deal, there is still time for a Conservative coup. One of my fellow members of Labour Business has suggested an elegant but politically explosive escape route for the Tories, famed for their ruthlessness in despatching leaders that threaten their Party's longer term electability.

The PM explains to Parliament, after defeat in the MV, that given the failure of her "deal" and with the clock ticking, she feels it is in the national interest to halt and revoke Article 50 TEU. She signs the letter of revocation, and so the status quo prevails. She then resigns. That way the blame for the fiasco will be on her shoulders, not the Tory party. A binding vote follows which supports her decision, as there is a majority against no deal and against her deal.

NB The European Court of Justice (ECJ) conveniently rules on that matter tomorrow morning. Boom, boom. On the basis of current information the idea of May falling on her proverbial sword is ridiculous. But there is an issue for Parliament, which currently seems to be still being treated as sacred. That is the "will of the people". I confess to having had difficulties with the whole process. The EU Referendum was a cowardly Tory construct aided and abetted by the Liberal Democrats, their coalition partners prior to the fateful 2015 General Election, and shamefully waived through by the interim Labour leadership under Harriet Harman. At the time no one asked can Brexit be delivered. Worse, Cameron instructed the then Cabinet Secretary, Jeremy Heywood NOT to undertake any impact studies. Critical differences exist between then and now.

It can be argued the 2016 Referendum was a theoretical exercise. Today the question is for real, and if all the Parliamentary options were exhausted then at least a public/people's vote aka a referendum would be better informed - providing an appetite for facts can be aroused. Brexit, as set out by the Johnson, Davis, Fox triumvirate aided and abetted by Farage, Putin and whomever else can be plausibly enmeshed in the Brexit conspiracy, is now seen for what it was - undeliverable.

Labour wants to be in government. This morning shadow Cabinet Minister Job Trickett and Corbyn's own Director of Policy Andrew Fisher are flying a minority government on Wednesday kite! How that one could fly in the light of Corbyn's latest speech to the PSE Congress in Lisbon over the weekend is another mystery. Why would the Scottish Nationalist, LiberalDemocrat or Green MPs agree to support a minority Labour Government indulging in fantastical notions of a better Brexit?

Of course, there will be some people who would be cross if Brexit were cancelled. But would they mimic "les gilets jaunes"? The people yearning for job prospects and better public services whom it is believed voted Leave are going to be much worse off with any sort of Brexit, and the faster Labour politicians pluck up courage to say so the better.

Labour mini-reshuffle: stuck with Balls, job for Trickett

Minor changes to the Labour Party frontbench were announced earlier today following the resignation of Jim Murphy to muddy the water in the Scottish Labour Party.

The main news which did not form part of the official announcement was that shadow chancellor of the exchequer, Ed Balls, remains in post. What was significant was the appointment of Jon Trickett as keeper of the radical runes in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.

A more conventional report of these events can be read on the New Statesman's blog The Staggers here

If that job for Trickett is going to make a real contribution to boosting seriously flagging party morale, then he needs to set a number of tasks for Balls that keep the radical agenda rolling.

Top of that list must be Growth4All versus austerity-lite. As set out out by Balls, Labour is committed to apeing ConDem public spending plans for the first year in government, ie 2015/16. There is a miserable and heart-chilling logic to this. Public expenditure settlements for FY15/16 will have been announced before the next General Election, along with the ConDems last throw (hopefully) of the budgetary dice with tax bribes to the electorate so outrageous that even the most gullible will realise they are being conned.

Balls' job is therefore to show his economic wizardry by feeding the party doorstep lines to reawaken electoral passion for Labour. It won't come from more of the same, austerity-lite.

Trickett could usefully get up to speed on pre-election inclusive budgeting (admittedly, still very nerdy at the moment), planning for living wage implementation, and setting timetables post-election for transferring tax and spend powers to local authorites, and lifting borrowing restrictions on devolved nation, regional and local government spending on infrastructure, especially housing.

This may seem a tad radical, but that we are told is why Trickett was appointed.

Time for action.

 

42-days: first test of Labour's new found unity?

MPs returned to Westminster today and already rumours are circulating about the 42-day detention provision of the Counter Terrorism Bill. I am not up to speed on the precise timetabling of remaining Parliamentary business. But I am aware this could be the first test of the Labour Party's new found unity. On the one hand there are the stories of Nick Brown's (re-)appointment as Chief Whip threatening tighter control on backbench MPs, on the other is the appointment of Jon Trickett as the PM's PPS. I am presuming Jon will be saying in private: Prime Minister, we need to drop this. (Yes, I know he voted for the provision at 3rd reading in the Commons. But there are lots of MPs who vote for a government policy against their better judgment.)

We have got to focus on the economy. If that wasn't screamingly obvious, a quick look at the FTSE 100 today (down over 5%) is a salutary reminder. We are not going to get the economy moving again wasting political capital on a theoretical possibility that even law officers, the police and the security services can't agree on. Government can maintain its concern on the record, so that in the event of the need for longer powers of detention emergency legilsation can be put before the House. And we can all get on flushing out the next issue that government ministers have set their hearts on without thinking through the political ramifications thoroughly in the context of Labour values.

Compass MP appointed PM's PPS

Anyone listening to my modest contribution on Sky News commenting on the reshuffle at around 1920 yesterday evening together with Derek Draper will have heard me "announce" that Jon Trickett MP, aka as the chair of the Compass group of MPs has been appointed as the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Private Secretary or eyes and ears in the House of Commons.

I thought this appointment was significant for the Party in that Gordon Brown clearly wants to recreate a big tent to win the next election. What I was not aware of was that even Jon Craig, Sky's chief political correspondent who was sitting in their Millbank office watching us opine did not know.  Luke Akehurst picked up Jon Trickett's appointment without referring to his new role mid-evening from Derek who told him over the phone from the studio.

The next question is what's happened to Jon Cruddas. According to Michael Crick on Newsnight last night there was a conversation between Gordon Brown and Jon Cruddas, but it came to nothing. That should not detract from another political masterstroke played by the PM taking everyone by surprise with a series of announcements in the reshuffle that have reshaped government. By bringing back experience and strengthening the prospect of getting the economy back on track the electorate's confidence in the Labour Party's reputation for sound financial management can be restored.

Trickett has masterminded a number of parliamentary ambushes for the government over the past year. It will be interesting to see if access to the PM's ear will smooth the way for some sensible policy reforms that will eliminate reduce the risk of backbench rebellions.