This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/29/brexit-live-sad-cameron-eu-immigration-corbyn-leadership
The article has changed 27 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 19 | Version 20 |
|---|---|
| Brexit live: Tom Watson says Corbyn 'must go' but is unwilling to step down | Brexit live: Tom Watson says Corbyn 'must go' but is unwilling to step down |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 6.54pm BST | |
| 18:54 | |
| The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has written to David Cameron, seeking reassurance about the status of EU nationals currently studying at schools in the UK, reports the Guardian’s Richard Adams. | |
| The open letter to the prime minister says: | |
| School leaders are reporting to us that some of their young students are worrying about their future. | |
| Pupils are worried about being forced to leave Britain. They are fearful of a potential rise in racism and community conflict. They are concerned about their prospects in an uncertain and isolated Britain. | |
| It is not just the economic markets that need calming. Our young people need a statement from the government to address their fears. | |
| NAHT strongly urges the government to give pupils from the EU better assurance that they will be able to complete their school education without interruption; that they and their families remain welcome and valued members of the communities they call home. | |
| 6.37pm BST | |
| 18:37 | |
| McDonnell: Number of Labour MPs "tearing the party apart" | |
| John McDonnell has said Jeremy Corbyn is “not going anywhere” and has called on those opposing the Labour leader to “calm down”. | |
| “Unfortunately a number of MPs are tearing the party apart,” the shadow chancellor said in a Sky News interview in the last half an hour, in which he named Tom Watson and Angela Eagle as likely challengers. | |
| “I think what is happening, because it goes on minute by minute, is that we are likely to see a candidate come forward to challenge Jeremy. I don’t know who. There have been rumours that it is Angela Eagle or Tom Watson,” he said. | |
| McDonnell also put his support for Corbyn on the record again and insisted that the Labour leader was in buoyant form: “They have all these rumours about one minute I am challenging Jeremy Corbyn and the next I am forcing him to be the leader. | |
| “This is ludicrous. He is a good mate of mine. We go back 35 years. I’ll support him to continue as leader. If there is a contest I’ll support him.” | |
| “All I am saying to everybody is ‘calm down’. We call ourselves comrades in the Labour party. Let’s do it in a comradely, friendly manner if there is to be this debate.” | |
| .@johnmcdonnellMP says if there's a Labour leadership contest Jeremy Corbyn could win it https://t.co/AEEJmPmaGl https://t.co/sIiqutqQvl | |
| Updated | |
| at 6.52pm BST | |
| 6.14pm BST | 6.14pm BST |
| 18:14 | 18:14 |
| Watson says he tried to tell Corbyn to resign, but Corbyn would not discuss it with him | Watson says he tried to tell Corbyn to resign, but Corbyn would not discuss it with him |
| Andrew Sparrow | Andrew Sparrow |
| Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, told the BBC that he tried to tell Jeremy Corbyn to resign, but Corbyn would not discuss it with him. | Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, told the BBC that he tried to tell Jeremy Corbyn to resign, but Corbyn would not discuss it with him. |
| I’m afraid Jeremy was not willing to discuss that with me. I’m assuming that he remains in office. That’s where the situation stands. | I’m afraid Jeremy was not willing to discuss that with me. I’m assuming that he remains in office. That’s where the situation stands. |
| Watson also said he thought that Corbyn was trying to tough it out. | Watson also said he thought that Corbyn was trying to tough it out. |
| I just think he feels very strongly that he has that mandate from the members. He holds less weight on parliamentary politics, and that’s where he is. He’s obviously been told to stay by John McDonnell and his team, and they’ve decided they’re going to tough this out. It looks like the Labour party is heading for some kind of contested election. | I just think he feels very strongly that he has that mandate from the members. He holds less weight on parliamentary politics, and that’s where he is. He’s obviously been told to stay by John McDonnell and his team, and they’ve decided they’re going to tough this out. It looks like the Labour party is heading for some kind of contested election. |
| That’s all from me for today. | That’s all from me for today. |
| My colleague Ben Quinn is taking over now. | My colleague Ben Quinn is taking over now. |
| Updated | |
| at 6.31pm BST | |
| 6.09pm BST | 6.09pm BST |
| 18:09 | 18:09 |
| The journalist Paul Mason says the EU leaders beefed up the draft of the communique they issued at the end of their “EU27” meeting today (the one Britain was not invited to) to make it clear they they will fight any attempt by David Cameron’s successor to try to get access to the single market while not allowing free movement. | The journalist Paul Mason says the EU leaders beefed up the draft of the communique they issued at the end of their “EU27” meeting today (the one Britain was not invited to) to make it clear they they will fight any attempt by David Cameron’s successor to try to get access to the single market while not allowing free movement. |
| News: EU Council statement said to insist "access to single market requires acceptance of all four freedoms" - free movement for EEA status | News: EU Council statement said to insist "access to single market requires acceptance of all four freedoms" - free movement for EEA status |
| News: EU Council also to insist no negotiations of any kind without A50 and firmed up wording to make that categoric from earlier draft | News: EU Council also to insist no negotiations of any kind without A50 and firmed up wording to make that categoric from earlier draft |
| The EUCO “all four freedoms” line is not for show. I seen draft and it was an addition. It means they are determined for showdown w Boris | The EUCO “all four freedoms” line is not for show. I seen draft and it was an addition. It means they are determined for showdown w Boris |
| 6.03pm BST | 6.03pm BST |
| 18:03 | 18:03 |
| Ken Livingstone has announced he has given up his seat on Labour’s national executive committee. He was not able attend because he was suspended, and he will be replaced by another Corbynite. | Ken Livingstone has announced he has given up his seat on Labour’s national executive committee. He was not able attend because he was suspended, and he will be replaced by another Corbynite. |
| This could be significant if the NEC ends up having to rule on matters relating to the expected leadership contest, such was whether or not Jeremy Corbyn needs the backing of 50 MPs and MEPs to stand. | This could be significant if the NEC ends up having to rule on matters relating to the expected leadership contest, such was whether or not Jeremy Corbyn needs the backing of 50 MPs and MEPs to stand. |
| I'm standing down from Labour's NEC as my suspension stops me attending.Another supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, Darren Williams, takes my place | I'm standing down from Labour's NEC as my suspension stops me attending.Another supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, Darren Williams, takes my place |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 6.12pm BST | at 6.12pm BST |
| 5.58pm BST | 5.58pm BST |
| 17:58 | 17:58 |
| BBC2’s Newsnight has contacted 50 constituency Labour party chairs and secretaries who backed Jeremy Corbyn last year. Of those, 45 still support Corbyn. “Many we spoke to were nothing short of incensed at the antics of the party’s MPs,” Newsnight’s Lewis Goodall writes. | BBC2’s Newsnight has contacted 50 constituency Labour party chairs and secretaries who backed Jeremy Corbyn last year. Of those, 45 still support Corbyn. “Many we spoke to were nothing short of incensed at the antics of the party’s MPs,” Newsnight’s Lewis Goodall writes. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 6.11pm BST | at 6.11pm BST |
| 5.54pm BST | 5.54pm BST |
| 17:54 | 17:54 |
| Tom Watson says he won't stand against Corbyn | Tom Watson says he won't stand against Corbyn |
| These are from the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg. | These are from the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg. |
| Tom Watson is saying that he won’t stand against Jeremy Corbyn, but that there will be a contest. That means it will almost certainly be Corbyn v Angela Eagle (assuming Corbyn continues to refuse to resign). | Tom Watson is saying that he won’t stand against Jeremy Corbyn, but that there will be a contest. That means it will almost certainly be Corbyn v Angela Eagle (assuming Corbyn continues to refuse to resign). |
| Breaking - Tom Watson tells me Corbyn has to go but he is unwilling to quit | Breaking - Tom Watson tells me Corbyn has to go but he is unwilling to quit |
| Watson tells me he won't stand but there will be leadership election | Watson tells me he won't stand but there will be leadership election |
| Watson says he's been trying to reach a 'negotiated settlement' today to persuade COrbyn to go | Watson says he's been trying to reach a 'negotiated settlement' today to persuade COrbyn to go |
| Watson tells me he believes it's John McDonnell who is preventing Corbyn from quitting | Watson tells me he believes it's John McDonnell who is preventing Corbyn from quitting |
| 5.39pm BST | 5.39pm BST |
| 17:39 | 17:39 |
| Kezia Dugdale offers to be shadow Scottish secretary | Kezia Dugdale offers to be shadow Scottish secretary |
| Severin Carrell | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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 | 5.32pm BST |
| 17:32 | 17:32 |
| Sarah Vine's leaked email - Analysis | Sarah Vine's leaked email - Analysis |
| Andrew Sparrow | 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. | 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. | 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 said slightly less charitably, it makes Sarah Vine sound rather like Lady Macbeth. | 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 said 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.) | 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. | 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. It is the epistolary equivalent of a rant. (At the risk of sounding like Kay Burley, Lady Macbeth would have typed her messages in caps if they had had email in 11th-century Scotland.) | 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. It is the epistolary equivalent of a rant. (At the risk of sounding like Kay Burley, Lady Macbeth would have typed her messages in caps if they had had email in 11th-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. | 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 supporter 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? | 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 supporter 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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 | Updated |
| at 5.53pm BST | at 5.53pm 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 |