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Brexit live: Heidi Alexander first shadow minister to resign after Hilary Benn sacking Brexit live: Heidi Alexander first shadow minister to resign after Hilary Benn sacking
(35 minutes later)
9.29am BST
09:29
Jon Lansman, the founder of Momentum, the Labour group for Corbyn supporters, and a very close ally of Corbyn’s, has been tweeting this morning. He was unhappy about Hilary Benn being invited on the Andrew Marr Show.
I hear BBC has taken John McDonnell off Marr to be replaced by Hilary Benn. What happened to supposed BBC balance? #BBCpoliticalbias
I’m told Marr has relented - McDonnell re-invited. It seems being conspired against does justify an interview https://t.co/LGR0BgGvrQ
And this is what he said about the Heidi Alexander resignation.
Heidi Alexander has resigned. Why do some shadow cabinet members think now’s the time for Labour MPs to engage in a war with the membership
9.26am BST
09:26
These are from the New Statesman’s George Eaton.
Shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray expected to resign. Job would have to be filled by non-Scottish MP. https://t.co/u6n1T9WUHU
Diane Abbott promised post of shadow foreign secretary, Labour source tells me. https://t.co/u6n1T9WUHU
9.25am BST
09:25
Earlier I mentioned that Jeremy Corbyn was heckled at Pride. Craig Murray has an alternative view of what happened here, on his blog.
9.23am BST
09:23
Hilary Benn, the former shadow foreign secretary, was doorstepped by reporters as he left his house this morning. He said:
We need strong and effective leadership of the Labour party. I told Jeremy Corbyn last night that I no longer had confidence in his leadership and he dismissed me from the shadow cabinet. I want to thank him for having given me the chance to serve our party.
He will be on the Andrew Marr Show later.
9.12am BST
09:12
This is from my colleague Anushka Asthana.
I suspect that people who will go include: Angela Eagle, Lucy Powell, Jonathan Ashworth, Lisa Nandy, Chris Bryant, Luciana, Gloria, Andy B.
Also - my suspicion: Charlie Falconer, Rosie Winterton, Ian Murray..
9.11am BST
09:11
Labour source: @jeremycorbyn won't have a Shadow Cabinet by the end of the day. And significantly no-one to replace them. So no opposition
There is a lot of ‘what if’ Labour speculation around this morning. What if half of the shadow cabinet does resign? Jeremy Corbyn probably could just about find enough supporters in the parliamentary Labour party to replace them, but it would be a struggle and the shadow cabinet would have a distinctive D-list look to it.
On Sky News, the Daily Mirror’s Kevin Maguire has also been speculating about the Labour party in the country and the parliamentary Labour party electing different leaders.
Updated
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9.06am BST
09:06
Andrew Sparrow
Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Claire.
Sunday morning is often a busy time politically, but that is because it is dominated by set-piece political interviews on the TV programmes. Instead, this morning we’re in the midst of a dramatic running story; what is effectively a shadow cabinet coup against Jeremy Corbyn is under way. Colleagues are urging him to resign, but his office is saying he is not budging. He is engaged in a trial of strength with his party. It is possible that by the end of the day he may have resigned.
Only a few weeks ago Labour MPs were discounting the possibility of a leadership challenge. That was partly because Labour’s performance in the local elections was not as bad as some people as predicted, but also because a YouGov survey of Labour members in May showed that Corbyn was even more popular with members in May than he was when he was elected in September last year. It said 64% of members would vote for him in another contest.
So what has changed? Two factors are crucial.
First, there is general consensus that Corbyn’s performance in the EU referendum campaign was lacklustre. Labour party members (unlike Labour voters) are strongly in favour of EU membership, and it is widely felt that Corbyn did not pull his weight. This Politico.EU long read puts the case against him well. A measure of how much unhappiness this has caused is the fact that Corbyn was heckled when he spoke at Pride yesterday.
And, second, the vote for leave in the EU referendum has made the prospect of an early election much more likely, The Conservative party is due to elect a new leader by October, and it is thought that the new prime minister will want a fresh electoral mandate - particularly if he or she thinks Labour is in a weak position. In theory the Fixed-term Parliaments Act means that there will not be a general election until 2020, but a vote of two-thirds of MPs can over-ride that.
Updated
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9.05am BST
09:05
Claire Phipps
At this point, I will hand you over to Andrew Sparrow to follow all the latest developments, resignations and whatever else Sunday throws at us.
Thanks for reading and for all the comments.
9.03am BST
09:03
The BBC’s Marr show has begun, with host Andrew Marr asking:
What happens now, and is anybody in charge?
So it’s not just me, then.
Hilary Benn is due to be on the show this morning, as is shadow chancellor John McDonnell.
8.52am BST8.52am BST
08:5208:52
The Huffington Post’s Paul Waugh says – of that list below – that Angela Eagle, Maria Eagle and Chris Bryant could all quit today, along with shadow home secretary Andy Burnham. The Huffington Post’s Paul Waugh says – of that list below – that Angela Eagle, Maria Eagle and Chris Bryant could all quit today, along with the shadow home secretary, Andy Burnham.
Lab MPs believe that Angela Eagle, Maria Eagle, Andy Burnham, Chris Bryant all set to follow Alexander and quit today.Lab MPs believe that Angela Eagle, Maria Eagle, Andy Burnham, Chris Bryant all set to follow Alexander and quit today.
But Waugh says Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, isn’t expected to follow them:But Waugh says Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, isn’t expected to follow them:
Angela Eagle is the most senior woman in the party, as shad 1st sec of state + PMQs deputy. No one expecting @tom_watson to quit thoAngela Eagle is the most senior woman in the party, as shad 1st sec of state + PMQs deputy. No one expecting @tom_watson to quit tho
Updated
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8.50am BST8.50am BST
08:5008:50
If – and it’s very much an if – Robert Peston is right that those who voted with Benn to back airstrikes on Syria last year are the ones who will now resign, here are the names of those who voted that way:If – and it’s very much an if – Robert Peston is right that those who voted with Benn to back airstrikes on Syria last year are the ones who will now resign, here are the names of those who voted that way:
8.43am BST8.43am BST
08:4308:43
'More than half' shadow cabinet to resign'More than half' shadow cabinet to resign
Anushka AsthanaAnushka Asthana
More than half of the Labour shadow cabinet is expected to stand down on Sunday in a major coup against Jeremy Corbyn, triggered by the result of the EU referendum and the leader’s decision to sack Hilary Benn.More than half of the Labour shadow cabinet is expected to stand down on Sunday in a major coup against Jeremy Corbyn, triggered by the result of the EU referendum and the leader’s decision to sack Hilary Benn.
The decision of Heidi Alexander, the shadow health secretary, to resign on Sunday morning is seen as hugely significant, because unlike Benn she was a more “loyal and pragmatic” member of the Corbyn team, a Labour source said:The decision of Heidi Alexander, the shadow health secretary, to resign on Sunday morning is seen as hugely significant, because unlike Benn she was a more “loyal and pragmatic” member of the Corbyn team, a Labour source said:
She is seen as a moderate, practical and pragmatic voice. Hilary always had a problem with Jeremy. Now that Heidi’s gone, most of the shadow cabinet will step down. He can’t just replace those positions because other front bench ministers won’t step up to the roles.She is seen as a moderate, practical and pragmatic voice. Hilary always had a problem with Jeremy. Now that Heidi’s gone, most of the shadow cabinet will step down. He can’t just replace those positions because other front bench ministers won’t step up to the roles.
Loyal members of shadow cabinet told the Guardian they were now writing their resignation letters in a coup that will be impossible for Corbyn to containLoyal members of shadow cabinet told the Guardian they were now writing their resignation letters in a coup that will be impossible for Corbyn to contain
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.43am BSTat 8.43am BST
8.41am BST8.41am BST
08:4108:41
Corbyn 'will not resign'Corbyn 'will not resign'
Jeremy Corbyn’s office has issued a defiant message:Jeremy Corbyn’s office has issued a defiant message:
There will be no resignation of a democratically elected leader with a strong mandate from the membership.There will be no resignation of a democratically elected leader with a strong mandate from the membership.
8.37am BST8.37am BST
08:3708:37
Heidi Alexander resignation letter in fullHeidi Alexander resignation letter in full
Dear Jeremy,Dear Jeremy,
It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to you to resign from the shadow cabinet.It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to you to resign from the shadow cabinet.
The result of the referendum last week means that our country is facing unprecedented challenges.The result of the referendum last week means that our country is facing unprecedented challenges.
Those who will be hit hardest by the economic shock associated with the vote to leave the EU need a strong opposition, as do those communities who fear rising levels of intolerance, hatred and division.Those who will be hit hardest by the economic shock associated with the vote to leave the EU need a strong opposition, as do those communities who fear rising levels of intolerance, hatred and division.
More than ever, our country needs an effective opposition which can hold the government to account and which is a capable of developing a credible and inspiring alternative to an increasingly rightwing and backward-looking Conservative party.More than ever, our country needs an effective opposition which can hold the government to account and which is a capable of developing a credible and inspiring alternative to an increasingly rightwing and backward-looking Conservative party.
As much as I respect you as a man of principle, I do not believe you have the capacity to shape the answers our country is demanding and I believe that if we are to form the next government, a change of leadership is essential.As much as I respect you as a man of principle, I do not believe you have the capacity to shape the answers our country is demanding and I believe that if we are to form the next government, a change of leadership is essential.
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to serve in the shadow cabinet.I would like to thank you for the opportunity to serve in the shadow cabinet.
Yours sincerely,Heidi AlexanderYours sincerely,Heidi Alexander
8.33am BST8.33am BST
08:3308:33
The Guardian’s political editor, Anushka Asthana, says:The Guardian’s political editor, Anushka Asthana, says:
Sources say Alexander’s resignation will trigger over half the shadow cabinet stepping down because she is seen as a more loyal and “pragmatic” member.Sources say Alexander’s resignation will trigger over half the shadow cabinet stepping down because she is seen as a more loyal and “pragmatic” member.
ITV News political editor Robert Peston also goes along with what we are hearing: that other shadow cabinet members are following Benn out of the door.ITV News political editor Robert Peston also goes along with what we are hearing: that other shadow cabinet members are following Benn out of the door.
So the shadow cabinet members resigning with Hilary Benn are those who voted with him on Syria plus two others. They are calling it JexitSo the shadow cabinet members resigning with Hilary Benn are those who voted with him on Syria plus two others. They are calling it Jexit
8.29am BST8.29am BST
08:2908:29
Chuka Umunna sounds less direct and more philosophical than most this morning, but this isn’t exactly a slap on the back for Corbyn:Chuka Umunna sounds less direct and more philosophical than most this morning, but this isn’t exactly a slap on the back for Corbyn:
Either you look your flaws in the face and address them or you stick your head in the sand, destroy the Labour Party and the country suffersEither you look your flaws in the face and address them or you stick your head in the sand, destroy the Labour Party and the country suffers
8.25am BST8.25am BST
08:2508:25
Here is Heidi Alexander’s resignation, posted to Twitter just now:Here is Heidi Alexander’s resignation, posted to Twitter just now:
It is with a heavy heart that I have this morning resigned from the Shadow Cabinet. pic.twitter.com/amBRk30RtRIt is with a heavy heart that I have this morning resigned from the Shadow Cabinet. pic.twitter.com/amBRk30RtR
8.24am BST
08:24
Heidi Alexander resigns
Heidi Alexander, the shadow health secretary, has resigned
8.23am BST
08:23
Anushka Asthana
Labour sources tell me to expect shadow cabinet resignations first through the day, then other frontbenchers.
One senior backbencher told me:
If the shadow cabinet don’t resign now then they will have no place to hide when parliament returns tomorrow.
8.17am BST
08:17
And some more Labour MP reaction: still pro-Benn so far.
Woke up to the news of sacking of Hilary Benn. An excellent principled Labour man. Shadow Cabinet must now act swiftly to Save our Party
And this reaction from Jim Fitzpatrick to a report by the BBC political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, that half the shadow cabinet could resign:
The sooner the better. https://t.co/KZRai412vr
8.04am BST
08:04
Anushka Asthana
Shadow cabinet members told the Guardian that Corbyn’s decision to sack Benn could cause a mutiny. One loyal member said they were “staggered”. Another added:
A bad-tempered sacking is likely to lead to more trouble for Jeremy.
A Labour spokesman insisted that the leader had to act following a middle-of-the-night conversation with his shadow foreign secretary:
Hilary Benn was sacked because Jeremy’s lost confidence in him. Corbyn rang Benn at 12.50 and following that conversation he sacked him.
Updated
at 8.13am BST
8.02am BST
08:02
I should point out that this is not something I’m able to verify. But the BBC political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, is saying Benn could be followed out of the shadow cabinet today by several more MPs – perhaps as many as half of them.
Just been told half the shadow cabinet to resign this morning
Updated
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7.55am BST
07:55
Labour reaction on Twitter has so far been supportive of Benn (I’d be happy to include the counter view, but it’s pretty much all one-way so far).
.@hilarybennmp is about the nicest guy you could ever meet - honest, principled & kind. And he loves the Labour Party with all his heart.
@GdnPolitics irony is @hilarybennmp could win gen election for @UKLabour Not even his supporters think Jeremy could @guardian @SkyNews
A man who could actually be a good Foreign Secretary sacked by someone who could never be Prime Minister
7.48am BST
07:48
The phone call that ended Benn’s shadow cabinet tenure came after a report in the Observer said he had been sounding out Labour colleagues on whether they would back a move to oust Corbyn.
Daniel Boffey reported:
It is understood that the shadow foreign secretary called fellow MPs over the weekend to suggest that he will ask Corbyn to stand down if there is significant support for a move against the leader. He has also asked shadow cabinet colleagues to join him in resigning if the Labour leader ignores that request …
Senior sources said on Saturday that Benn had been ringing shadow cabinet colleagues over the past 24 hours asking two questions. First, sources say, he asks whether he should ask Corbyn to stand down. He is then said to ask if they will join him in resigning should Corbyn refuse.
7.42am BST
07:42
It now looks as if Hilary Benn might be appearing on the Andrew Marr Show on the BBC from 9am – we’ll cover it live if so.
George Eaton, the New Statesman political editor, says Benn will be on in place of the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, who was due to be on the programme.
Hilary Benn to appear on Marr Show this morning, rather than McDonnell.
We’ve still yet to hear publicly from Corbyn, McDonnell or others close to the Labour leader. A short statement from a Corbyn spokesman overnight merely said that Benn had “lost the confidence” of the Labour leader.
Updated
at 8.16am BST
7.24am BST
07:24
Hilary Benn statement in full
Hilary Benn issued his defiant response to his sacking in a statement just after 3.30am on Sunday:
It has now become clear that there is widespread concern among Labour MPs and in the shadow cabinet about Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of our party.
In particular, there is no confidence in our ability to win the next election, which may come much sooner than expected, if Jeremy continues as leader.
At this critical time for our country, following the result of the EU referendum, we need strong and effective leadership of the Labour party that is capable of winning public support so that we can stand up for the people of Britain.
In a phone call to Jeremy, I told him that for these reasons I had lost confidence in his ability to lead the party and he then dismissed me from the shadow cabinet.
I thanked him for having given me the opportunity to serve him and the party as shadow foreign secretary.
Updated
at 8.17am BST
6.43am BST
06:43
Morning briefing
Claire Phipps
Well, that was an unexpected night. Most people – and newspapers – went to bed on Saturday night thinking (if this is the kind of thing they think about on a Saturday night) about divisions in the Conservative party, as MPs jostle to take over from David Cameron at No 10. “Tories at war” screeched the Sunday Telegraph front page.
And then at 1am, Jeremy Corbyn sacked Hilary Benn from the shadow cabinet.
I’ve rounded up the key news here in our morning briefing before the live blog whisks you briskly though the day ahead. Do come and chat in the comments below or find me on Twitter @Claire_Phipps.
The big picture
So to an already crowded Sunday morning agenda – the Tory party leadership strife, the small matter of the UK negotiating its way out of the European Union – we now add a Labour leadership crisis. Whether the departure of the shadow foreign secretary is a further wobble that tips a shaky ship or a decisive act by Corbyn (given a report in the Observer that Benn had been marshalling opposition to the party leader) might well depend on what you thought of the whole thing before 1am.
In a statement issued at 3.40am, Benn said:
In a phone call to Jeremy, I told him … I had lost confidence in his ability to lead the party and he then dismissed me from the shadow cabinet.
Benn expanded on those reasons:
It has now become clear that there is widespread concern among Labour MPs and in the shadow cabinet about Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of our party.
In particular, there is no confidence in our ability to win the next election, which may come much sooner than expected, if Jeremy continues as leader.
At this critical time for our country, following the result of the EU referendum, we need strong and effective leadership of the Labour party that is capable of winning public support so that we can stand up for the people of Britain.
A spokesman for Corbyn said Benn had lost the Labour leader’s trust.
Corbyn had earlier on Saturday acknowledged tremors within the party, as several MPs (including Tristram Hunt and Stephen Kinnock) spoke out openly against him:
Yes, there are some people in the Labour party, and the parliamentary Labour party in particular, who probably want someone else to be the leader – I think they’ve made that abundantly clear.
European leaders have insisted that Britain begin moves to leave the EU right away. An emergency meeting of ministers from the bloc’s six founder members on Saturday resulted in an assertion by Germany’s foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, that negotiations should begin “as soon as possible”.
Prominent pro-Leavers, including Boris Johnson, have said there is no rush to trigger article 50, which begins a two-year countdown to exit. The Northern Ireland secretary, Theresa Villiers, who voted out, writes in the Observer today:
There is no need to plunge into tabling article 50 now, whatever Mr Juncker may want. The period of informal negotiation prior to an article 50 process will be crucial and should not be rushed. We should engage widely as we take the negotiation forward.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, appeared to agree, telling a news conference on Saturday:
Quite honestly, it should not take ages, that is true, but I would not fight now for a short time frame. The negotiations must take place in a businesslike, good climate.
In the meantime, there’s also the vexing question of who the prime minister will be. Cameron has said he’ll be out of Downing Street by October, which has sent Tory MPs skittling.
The “Stop Boris” camp could be grouping around the home secretary, Theresa May. Or the education secretary, Nicky Morgan, who writes in the Sunday Times today about the need to “heal divided communities and to build a truly United Kingdom”. Or the work and pensions secretary, Stephen Crabb, who writes in the Sunday Telegraph about the need to “mend our divided society”. Or even George Osborne, who’s presumably hoping colleagues will have forgotten about the “punishment budget” falling-out.
The Sunday Times political editor, Tim Shipman, thinks these could be the runners and riders. (Let me save you a trip to Google: Freeman is George Freeman, minister for life sciences. Yeah, that guy. No, me neither.)
TORY LEADERSHIP LATESTRunning: Boris, May, Morgan, Crabb, FreemanProbably: Fox, LeadsomPossibly: HuntProbably Not: Osborne, Javid
You should also know:
Poll position
After that petition to parliament to trigger a second referendum topped 2.7 million signatures, a ComRes poll for the Sunday Mirror found 39% of respondents thought there should be a re-run, with 50% saying the result should be honoured and 11% admitting they just didn’t know. Can you please go away and stop asking about this, I have a headache.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Post claims a new poll puts support for Scottish independence at 59% following the Brexit vote. On Saturday, Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said she would lobby member states directly to find a way for Scotland to remain part of the EU. A second independence referendum was, she said, “very much on the table”.
Diary
It’s possible there might be some tweaks to the guest lists on the Sunday morning TV shows but here’s what we know:
Read these
So Benn has been sacked. What happens if there is a leadership contest, wonders Stephen Bush in the New Statesman:
Much depends on the disposition of Labour’s 20 MEPs. Prior to Britain’s Brexit vote, they were believed to be the most sensitive to the concerns of the party’s activists, as Labour members vote on the order of the party’s list, making anti-Corbynites vulnerable.
Now all 20 MEPs are out of a job at or before the next European election regardless, the question is whether they decide to keep Corbyn off the ballot or try to curry favour with Corbyn’s supporters in the membership prior to making a bid for seats at Westminster.
Jeremy Paxman, writing in the Telegraph, says the Brexit result has exposed a gaping chasm:
The political leaders of any of the main parties have more in common with each other than they have with many of their foot-soldiers, and the referendum has made that plain. This is clearly one of those issues (capital punishment is always said to be another) on which the governing class and the people they purport to represent are entirely at odds.
David Cameron knew that a referendum was a constitutional nonsense, and that potentially one day a House of Commons overwhelmingly made up of people who believe in the European Union would have to pass the laws to leave it.
Anne McElvoy in the Mail on Sunday says pro-Brexit voters who wanted an end to free movement might not get their wish:
Less than an hour after Cameron announced he would stand down, I interviewed Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary. He knows the realities and constraints of our EU dealings inside out.
The price of free trade access to Europe’s large single market will, he told me, be retaining freedom of movement with only cosmetic tweaks. Without that commitment the EU has no reason to keep trade with Britain free of barriers that will do us severe economic damage. That might not be what the jubilant Brexiteers want to hear this weekend. It is nonetheless true.
You’ve likely already clicked to it, but Nick Cohen in the Observer is excoriating on Boris Johnson and Michael Gove:
The media do not damn themselves, so I am speaking out of turn when I say that if you think rule by professional politicians is bad, wait until journalist politicians take over. Johnson and Gove are the worst journalist politicians you can imagine …
Never has a revolution in Britain’s position in the world been advocated with such carelessness. The leave campaign has no plan. And that is not just because there was a shamefully under-explored division between the bulk of Brexit voters who wanted the strong welfare state and solid communities of their youth and the leaders of the campaign who wanted Britain to become an offshore tax haven. Vote Leave did not know how to resolve difficulties with Scotland, Ireland, the refugee camp at Calais, and a thousand other problems, and did not want to know either.
The day in a tweet
Realistic chance of UK's two main political parties both having leadership elections at same time during moment of constitutional crisis.
And the Greens are having their own leadership contest, too, though of course it’s all rather more civil.
If today were a Blur song ...
It would be Sunday Sunday: TV, old soldiers, talk of the past, two world wars, “the England he knew is now no more”, Songs of Praise, sleep.
And another thing
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Updated
at 8.23am BST