No action from Jeremy Corbyn on rebels 'for many days'

  • Brexit

I'm told there will be no action tonight against the dozen or so Labour MPs from Jeremy Corbyn's frontbench who voted against Article 50.

The Labour leader threatened to sack any Shadow Cabinet member or Shadow Minister if they did not follow his orders to support Theresa May's plan to trigger the divorce proceedings with the EU.

A total of 47 Labour MPs defied his orders.

A number of those hold frontbench portfolios in Mr Corbyn's team.

Some 498 MPs supported the Brexit Bill whilst 114 MPs voted to oppose it. Credit: Pool

Three Shadow Cabinet members and one Shadow Minister have already resigned so that they could vote against Article 50 tonight.

We estimate there could around 14 MPs on Jeremy Corbyn's frontbench team who defied his order to support the Article 50 Bill.

If the Labour leader follows through on his threat to sack them, he could once again find himself without enough MPs to fill the vacant posts.

Sources in the party tell me the disciplinary action will come at a "later stage".

And that may mean Jeremy Corbyn will not move against his dissenters until the Article 50 Bill has completed its passage through the House of Commons.

So no action for several days.