Will Corbyn ever turn Labour into referendum-and-remain party?
I’ve been mobbed by Labour MPs who don’t understand why:
A) Jeremy Corbyn has delayed their ability to regain momentum against surging Lib Dems and Greens by delaying for at least a fortnight a decision to adopt a referendum-and-remain position.
They regard as comic his riposte in shadow cabinet to Emily Thornberry that he "needs time to bring the movement with him" - which they interpret as "Len McCluskey won’t let me move".
And B) why Jeremy Corbyn has started the process of reselecting Labour candidates, which is forcing many of them to return to their constituencies to save themselves from deselection rather than fighting a disunited Tory Party.
One said to me: "this is institutional self-harm of monstrous proportions".
As I understand it, Thornberry warned Corbyn that - just like his foot-dragging on adopting the IHRA antisemitism position - if he does eventually sign Labour up to campaign for a referendum in all circumstances and to stay in the EU, by that late stage voters would no longer believe he and the party actually mean it.