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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/29/brexit-live-sad-cameron-eu-immigration-corbyn-leadership
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| Brexit live: Gove's wife raises doubts about Boris Johnson in leaked email | Brexit live: Gove's wife raises doubts about Boris Johnson in leaked email |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 5.39pm BST | |
| 17:39 | |
| Kezia Dugdale offers to be shadow Scottish secretary | |
| Severin Carrell | |
| The Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale told Jeremy Corbyn she would take on the vacant post as shadow Scottish secretary on Labour’s cabinet in a bid to fill the vacuum left by Ian Murray’s resignation on Sunday, party sources have told the Guardian. | |
| With further announcements on Corbyn’s shadow cabinet thought to be imminent, the post is one of a handful which Corbyn has yet to fill. The disclosures from party sources shed further light on the cause of the delay replacing Murray – the only Labour MP left in Scotland. | |
| Dugdale told Corbyn she would be extremely unhappy if the UK Labour leader appointed a non-Scottish MP or peer to the vacancy, during a series of text conversations and then a phone call on Monday. | |
| An ally of Murray’s, Dugdale told Corbyn it would be “unacceptable” for Scottish Labour not to have direct representation in the shadow cabinet, despite there being no other MP available in Scotland. | |
| Murray, an open critic of Corbyn’s leadership but Labour’s only MP in Scotland, was in the first wave of shadow cabinet resignations on Sunday, calling on Corbyn to resign as UK leader. | |
| Party sources in Edinburgh admit that appointing Dugdale would be complicated: Corbyn would need to appoint a constitution or UK nations spokesman to speak in the Commons. They said Corbyn said the proposal was interesting, but no action has been taken. | |
| 5.32pm BST | |
| 17:32 | |
| Sarah Vine's leaked email - Analysis | |
| Andrew Sparrow | |
| Sarah Vine’s leaked email (see 4.41pm) is short, and there is very little detail or context in it, but nevertheless it is hugely revealing. Here is a paragraph by paragraph snap analysis. | |
| Very important that we focus on the individual obstacles and thoroughly overcome them before moving to the next. I really think Michael needs to have a Henry or a Beth with him for this morning’s crucial meetings. | |
| Analysis: That “we” is very telling. There is nothing unusual about a wife, or husband, offering their spouse support but that “we” suggests that the Gove/Vine operation is something of a duopoly. It is very House of Cards. Or, as Sky’s Kay Burley has saying slightly less charitably, it makes Sarah Vine sound rather like Lady Macbeth. | |
| The references to Henry and Beth are to Gove’s special advisers, Henry Cook, Henry Newman and Beth Armstrong. It is normal for cabinet ministers to take their advisers with them into meetings but there is a suggestion here that Gove needs to have someone sitting alongside him to strengthen his resolve. (This is surprising. Of the many complaints about Gove as a minister, lack of steel is not one. It is not spelt who the meetings are with, but they may well be Boris Johnson, and perhaps Gove finds it harder saying no to Johnson than he did to government colleagues.) | |
| One simple message: You MUST have SPECIFIC assurances from Boris OTHERWISE you cannot guarantee your support. The details can be worked out later on, but without that you have no leverage. | |
| Analysis: This is where Vine sets out the Gove/Vine negotiation red line. Sadly, the email does not say what those specific assurances are. A job? A policy commitment? Or perhaps both? But the key point is that Vine is describing this as a transaction. And she is also implying that Johnson cannot be trusted; the assurances have to be “specific” otherwise Johnson will not be bound by them. (Students of Boris Johnson would point out that, even if Johnson has made a specific promise, that is no guarantee that he will keep it, but that’s another story.) And those capital letters are worth noting too. They are indicative of at least a dash of mania. (At the risk of sounding like Kay Burley, Lady Macbeth would have typed her messages in caps if they had had email in eleventh century Scotland.) | |
| Crucially, the membership will not have the necessary reassurance to back Boris, neither will Dacre/Murdoch, who instinctively dislike Boris but trust your ability enough to support a Boris Gove ticket. | |
| Analysis: This reinforces the point about Johnson being untrustworthy. Vine’s claim that the party membership will need reassurance to back Johnson is surprising, because the regular ConservativeHome survey shows that members do support Johnson. But Vine is surely right when she talks about Rupert Murdoch and Paul Dacre (the editor of the Daily Mail). Vine used to work at the Times, and now works for the Mail, and therefore surely knows the internal politics of both media groups extremely well. Murdoch is known to be a strong support of Gove’s, and it is thought that Dacre rates him highly too (although the Mail may have its doubts about Gove’s liberal prisons agenda). The crucial claim is that Murdoch and Dacre “instinctively dislike” Johnson. If this is true, in Dacre’s case it may be because of Johnson’s womanising, and in Murdoch’s case it may be because of Johnson’s core liberalism. Vine says Gove’s key value to Johnson is his ability to win over Britain’s two most powerful press barons. Who said the power of the press was waning? | |
| Do not concede any ground. Be your stubborn best. | |
| Analysis: Or, as Lady M put it, “Screw your courage to the sticking place.” Kay Burley’s comparison seems more and more apt. | |
| GOOD LUCK. | |
| Analysis: Those caps seem to say: this matters. Gove himself may play down his personal ambition, but someone else in his household seems to be very ambitious on his behalf. | |
| Updated | |
| at 5.35pm BST | |
| 4.41pm BST | 4.41pm BST |
| 16:41 | 16:41 |
| Gove's wife raised concerns about Boris Johnson's leadership in leaked email | Gove's wife raised concerns about Boris Johnson's leadership in leaked email |
| Sky News has got a cracking story. It has got hold of an email that Sarah Vine, Michael Gove’s wife, sent to Gove, and copied to his aides, saying that he had to insist on getting assurances from Boris Johnson before committing to backing him. | Sky News has got a cracking story. It has got hold of an email that Sarah Vine, Michael Gove’s wife, sent to Gove, and copied to his aides, saying that he had to insist on getting assurances from Boris Johnson before committing to backing him. |
| Here is the story. | Here is the story. |
| And here is the email. | And here is the email. |
| Very important that we focus on the individual obstacles and thoroughly overcome them before moving to the next. I really think Michael needs to have a Henry or a Beth with him for this morning’s crucial meetings. | Very important that we focus on the individual obstacles and thoroughly overcome them before moving to the next. I really think Michael needs to have a Henry or a Beth with him for this morning’s crucial meetings. |
| One simple message: You MUST have SPECIFIC assurances from Boris OTHERWISE you cannot guarantee your support. The details can be worked out later on, but without that you have no leverage. | One simple message: You MUST have SPECIFIC assurances from Boris OTHERWISE you cannot guarantee your support. The details can be worked out later on, but without that you have no leverage. |
| Crucially, the membership will not have the necessary reassurance to back Boris, neither will Dacre/Murdoch, who instinctively dislike Boris but trust your ability enough to support a Boris Gove ticket. | Crucially, the membership will not have the necessary reassurance to back Boris, neither will Dacre/Murdoch, who instinctively dislike Boris but trust your ability enough to support a Boris Gove ticket. |
| Do not concede any ground. Be your stubborn best. | Do not concede any ground. Be your stubborn best. |
| GOOD LUCK. | GOOD LUCK. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.50pm BST | at 4.50pm BST |
| 4.38pm BST | 4.38pm BST |
| 16:38 | 16:38 |
| Ed Miliband has written a letter to Labour members in his constituency, which he has posted on Facebook, explaining why he is calling on Jeremy Corbyn to resign. Here’s an extract. | Ed Miliband has written a letter to Labour members in his constituency, which he has posted on Facebook, explaining why he is calling on Jeremy Corbyn to resign. Here’s an extract. |
| I understand my position will upset some party members. Some who support Jeremy and some who fear this is a distraction from the crisis the country faces. To supporters of Jeremy, my candid view is that a progressive, Left agenda is more likely to be taken forward in a united Labour party, not a wrecked, divided party. And to those who worry about distraction, we cannot function as an effective Opposition in the current circumstances. | I understand my position will upset some party members. Some who support Jeremy and some who fear this is a distraction from the crisis the country faces. To supporters of Jeremy, my candid view is that a progressive, Left agenda is more likely to be taken forward in a united Labour party, not a wrecked, divided party. And to those who worry about distraction, we cannot function as an effective Opposition in the current circumstances. |
| Jeremy has had a profound and lasting influence on the debate about who we are as a party and the causes we need to fight for. I know he is someone who cares deeply about those causes, our party and our country. I hope he will reflect on how he can best serve this agenda at this critical moment for Britain and the Labour party. | Jeremy has had a profound and lasting influence on the debate about who we are as a party and the causes we need to fight for. I know he is someone who cares deeply about those causes, our party and our country. I hope he will reflect on how he can best serve this agenda at this critical moment for Britain and the Labour party. |
| 4.25pm BST | 4.25pm BST |
| 16:25 | 16:25 |
| Here is Nicola Sturgeon in Brussels saying Scotland is determined to stay in the EU. | Here is Nicola Sturgeon in Brussels saying Scotland is determined to stay in the EU. |
| 4.23pm BST | 4.23pm BST |
| 16:23 | 16:23 |
| The Lib Dems say more than 10,000 people have joined the party since the Brexit vote last week. The Lib Dems are the only main party committed to going into the next election calling for Britain to stay in the EU. The Lib Dem leader, Tim Farron, said: | The Lib Dems say more than 10,000 people have joined the party since the Brexit vote last week. The Lib Dems are the only main party committed to going into the next election calling for Britain to stay in the EU. The Lib Dem leader, Tim Farron, said: |
| People can also see the Labour leadership did not put their back into the fight – when history called they did not step up to the mark. | People can also see the Labour leadership did not put their back into the fight – when history called they did not step up to the mark. |
| As the other two parties fight among themselves, people are starting to recognise that only the Liberal Democrats are fighting for their European future. | As the other two parties fight among themselves, people are starting to recognise that only the Liberal Democrats are fighting for their European future. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.29pm BST | at 4.29pm BST |
| 4.17pm BST | 4.17pm BST |
| 16:17 | 16:17 |
| This is from ITV’s Chris Ship. | This is from ITV’s Chris Ship. |
| NEW: Just been told Corbyn has said in the last day he wants out, he's had enough. But his Dir of Comms @SeumasMilne told him he should stay | NEW: Just been told Corbyn has said in the last day he wants out, he's had enough. But his Dir of Comms @SeumasMilne told him he should stay |
| 4.16pm BST | 4.16pm BST |
| 16:16 | 16:16 |
| Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative MP who chairs the Commons Treasury committee, has said the government should not trigger article 50 (to start the two-year EU withdrawal process) until it has settled its negotiating position. He said: | Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative MP who chairs the Commons Treasury committee, has said the government should not trigger article 50 (to start the two-year EU withdrawal process) until it has settled its negotiating position. He said: |
| The UK’s negotiating position has yet to be established. Article 50 should not be triggered until it has been. | The UK’s negotiating position has yet to be established. Article 50 should not be triggered until it has been. |
| A crucial task is to identify the maximum level of EU market access, consistent with the need for some control on migration. Work must also be done to identify not just the risks of leaving, some of which are becoming apparent, but also the opportunities. The committee’s first hearing [yesterday] took some evidence on both. | A crucial task is to identify the maximum level of EU market access, consistent with the need for some control on migration. Work must also be done to identify not just the risks of leaving, some of which are becoming apparent, but also the opportunities. The committee’s first hearing [yesterday] took some evidence on both. |
| Tyrie’s committee is holding an inquiry looking into what the negotiation position should be. | Tyrie’s committee is holding an inquiry looking into what the negotiation position should be. |
| 4.08pm BST | 4.08pm BST |
| 16:08 | 16:08 |
| Heather Stewart | Heather Stewart |
| Labour rebels keen to oust Jeremy Corbyn are investigating whether they would have a legal case for using the party’s name if they formed a breakaway group in parliament, and have set up a website to try to gain support of “moderate” members, my colleague Heather Stewart reports. | Labour rebels keen to oust Jeremy Corbyn are investigating whether they would have a legal case for using the party’s name if they formed a breakaway group in parliament, and have set up a website to try to gain support of “moderate” members, my colleague Heather Stewart reports. |
| Related: Anti-Corbyn Labour MPs investigate party name ownership | Related: Anti-Corbyn Labour MPs investigate party name ownership |
| 4.06pm BST | 4.06pm BST |
| 16:06 | 16:06 |
| Greek PM backs Corbyn | Greek PM backs Corbyn |
| Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister and leader of the radical Syriza party, has offered Jeremy Corbyn his support. | Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister and leader of the radical Syriza party, has offered Jeremy Corbyn his support. |
| I spoke earlier with @jeremycorbyn to express my solidarity for his country’s difficult moments. 1/2 | I spoke earlier with @jeremycorbyn to express my solidarity for his country’s difficult moments. 1/2 |
| Those responsible for the divisive and eurosceptic rhetoric cannot blame the progressive forces. 2/2 | Those responsible for the divisive and eurosceptic rhetoric cannot blame the progressive forces. 2/2 |
| 4.02pm BST | 4.02pm BST |
| 16:02 | 16:02 |
| Tonight the Guardian is hosting a debate about Brexit, featuring the Guardian’s political editor Anushka Asthana, Guardian journalists John Harris and Gary Younge, and writer and broadcaster Paul Mason. It will be chaired by the Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland. | Tonight the Guardian is hosting a debate about Brexit, featuring the Guardian’s political editor Anushka Asthana, Guardian journalists John Harris and Gary Younge, and writer and broadcaster Paul Mason. It will be chaired by the Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland. |
| There will be a live feed here. | There will be a live feed here. |
| Related: Guardian Brexit debate livestream: what happens next? | Related: Guardian Brexit debate livestream: what happens next? |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.06pm BST | at 4.06pm BST |
| 3.56pm BST | 3.56pm BST |
| 15:56 | 15:56 |
| Labour's economic advisers criticise Corbyn for not campaigning more strongly in EU referendum campaign | Labour's economic advisers criticise Corbyn for not campaigning more strongly in EU referendum campaign |
| Phillip Inman | Phillip Inman |
| Following the resignation of the former Bank of England policy maker and US-based economics professor David Blanchflower from Labour’s economic advisory panel yesterday and the French economist Thomas Piketty’s today (see 10.05am), all the remaining members bar the US Nobel prize winner Joseph Stiglitz have issued a statement to say they will be continuing to offer their services to the party, whichever leader is in post. | Following the resignation of the former Bank of England policy maker and US-based economics professor David Blanchflower from Labour’s economic advisory panel yesterday and the French economist Thomas Piketty’s today (see 10.05am), all the remaining members bar the US Nobel prize winner Joseph Stiglitz have issued a statement to say they will be continuing to offer their services to the party, whichever leader is in post. |
| But they also criticise Jeremy Corbyn’s performance during the EU referendum. | But they also criticise Jeremy Corbyn’s performance during the EU referendum. |
| Here’s the statement: | Here’s the statement: |
| In September 2015, we were pleased to accept the invitation to serve on an Economic Advisory Council (EAC). We felt strongly that it represented an opportunity to develop a vision of a progressive economic policy for Britain that departed from the destructive austerity narrative. Our collective view is that the EAC, and its various policy review groups, has indeed had a positive influence on the development of Labour’s economic policy, and we hope it continues whatever the result of current divisions. | In September 2015, we were pleased to accept the invitation to serve on an Economic Advisory Council (EAC). We felt strongly that it represented an opportunity to develop a vision of a progressive economic policy for Britain that departed from the destructive austerity narrative. Our collective view is that the EAC, and its various policy review groups, has indeed had a positive influence on the development of Labour’s economic policy, and we hope it continues whatever the result of current divisions. |
| We have always seen this body as providing advice to the Labour party as a whole, and not as an endorsement of particular individuals within it. For example we all share the view that the EU referendum result is a major disaster for the UK, and we have felt unhappy that the Labour leadership has not campaigned more strongly to avoid this outcome. We believe it is now crucial to find a way to resolve the economic and political impasse with the EU in a way that brings the least damage possible to the UK economy and those of our neighbours. We will be honoured to advise the Labour party in the future, should our advice be sought once the current situation is resolved. | We have always seen this body as providing advice to the Labour party as a whole, and not as an endorsement of particular individuals within it. For example we all share the view that the EU referendum result is a major disaster for the UK, and we have felt unhappy that the Labour leadership has not campaigned more strongly to avoid this outcome. We believe it is now crucial to find a way to resolve the economic and political impasse with the EU in a way that brings the least damage possible to the UK economy and those of our neighbours. We will be honoured to advise the Labour party in the future, should our advice be sought once the current situation is resolved. |
| It is signed by: Diane Elson, Mariana Mazzucato, Anastasia Nesvetailova, Ann Pettifor and Simon Wren-Lewis. | It is signed by: Diane Elson, Mariana Mazzucato, Anastasia Nesvetailova, Ann Pettifor and Simon Wren-Lewis. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.08pm BST | at 4.08pm BST |
| 3.48pm BST | 3.48pm BST |
| 15:48 | 15:48 |
| Jeremy Corbyn has been visiting the Polish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith, where xenophobic graffiti was scrawled on the doors at the weekend. He recorded a clip for broadcasters denouncing racism but, when a reporter tried to ask him about the leadership, he refused to answer and an aide pulled him away. | Jeremy Corbyn has been visiting the Polish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith, where xenophobic graffiti was scrawled on the doors at the weekend. He recorded a clip for broadcasters denouncing racism but, when a reporter tried to ask him about the leadership, he refused to answer and an aide pulled him away. |
| This is from Huffington Post’s Paul Waugh. | This is from Huffington Post’s Paul Waugh. |
| Niall Sookoo, Unite veteran who works in leader's office, physically grabs Corbyn away from media. Amazing pic pic.twitter.com/HuFX1dcC3B | Niall Sookoo, Unite veteran who works in leader's office, physically grabs Corbyn away from media. Amazing pic pic.twitter.com/HuFX1dcC3B |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.00pm BST | at 4.00pm BST |
| 3.42pm BST | 3.42pm BST |
| 15:42 | 15:42 |
| This is from ITV’s Robert Peston. | This is from ITV’s Robert Peston. |
| I am told GMB and Unite both about to come out in support of @jeremycorbyn. & they call on Labour MPs to behave as effective opposition | I am told GMB and Unite both about to come out in support of @jeremycorbyn. & they call on Labour MPs to behave as effective opposition |
| 3.36pm BST | 3.36pm BST |
| 15:36 | 15:36 |
| Here is the latest from reporters following the Labour story minute by minute. | Here is the latest from reporters following the Labour story minute by minute. |
| From the BBC’s Vicki Young | From the BBC’s Vicki Young |
| Been told that Lab Dep leader Tom Watson is meeting Jeremy Corbyn. Majority of MPs and MEPs urging him to stand down #labour | Been told that Lab Dep leader Tom Watson is meeting Jeremy Corbyn. Majority of MPs and MEPs urging him to stand down #labour |
| From ITV’s Chris Ship | From ITV’s Chris Ship |
| Labour MP: it's at a v delicate stage by we're still trying to get Jeremy Corbyn to resign rather than challenge him | Labour MP: it's at a v delicate stage by we're still trying to get Jeremy Corbyn to resign rather than challenge him |
| I hear that even Jeremy Corbyn's team are now urging him to quit - but so far without success ... | I hear that even Jeremy Corbyn's team are now urging him to quit - but so far without success ... |
| From Sky’s Jon Craig | From Sky’s Jon Craig |
| Some Labour MPs believe Corbyn clinging on to respond to Chilcot next week, apologise on behalf of Lab & call for Blair war crimes trial. | Some Labour MPs believe Corbyn clinging on to respond to Chilcot next week, apologise on behalf of Lab & call for Blair war crimes trial. |
| From the FT’s Jim Pickard | From the FT’s Jim Pickard |
| Hearing Watson and Eagle are about to meet at 3.30 but cancelled two earlier meetings as they can't agree who should be unity candidate... | Hearing Watson and Eagle are about to meet at 3.30 but cancelled two earlier meetings as they can't agree who should be unity candidate... |
| Allies of Eagle fear that Tom Watson will unilaterally declare himself as candidate.... | Allies of Eagle fear that Tom Watson will unilaterally declare himself as candidate.... |
| 3.31pm BST | 3.31pm BST |
| 15:31 | 15:31 |
| Trade unions leaders have been meeting this afternoon to discuss the Labour leadership situation. Channel 4 News’s Michael Crick says they will put out a statement but that it will be non-committal. | Trade unions leaders have been meeting this afternoon to discuss the Labour leadership situation. Channel 4 News’s Michael Crick says they will put out a statement but that it will be non-committal. |
| Big 4 TU statement on Corbyn, I'm told, "not likely to be earth-shattering" but "nobody should see it as endorsement of anyone's position" | Big 4 TU statement on Corbyn, I'm told, "not likely to be earth-shattering" but "nobody should see it as endorsement of anyone's position" |
| The big four unions are Unite, Unison, the GMB and the CWU. | The big four unions are Unite, Unison, the GMB and the CWU. |