JEREMY Corbyn and Jo Swinson have been told to “grow up” after they refused to work with each other to form a government of national unity (GNU).
Cross-party talks ended yesterday with the opposition unable to agree on how to stop No-Deal and collapse Boris Johnson’s administration.
With time running out to hold an election before Christmas, a clearly exasperated Nicola Sturgeon urged her fellow opposition parties to get their priorities right.
Over the weekend plans emerged for opposition MPs to either push for a vote of no confidence in the Tory Government or take control of the order paper in Parliament and force through legislation to stymie Boris Johnson’s efforts to crash the UK out of the EU with no deal.
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A senior LibDem source put the blame on Labour for the failed talks.
“They know they don’t have the numbers, but they are insistent they won’t work with anyone else,” the source said.
“Their total unwillingness to work with anyone else makes the Labour Party the biggest barrier to stopping No Deal.”
Writing in the i newspaper, Labour frontbencher Jon Trickett accused Swinson of “trying to woo disaffected Tories” by opposing Corbyn.
He said: “When it comes to a choice between preventing No Deal or having a socialist as an interim prime minister, Swinson’s LibDems appear to have made their choice. They should be forced honestly to explain why.”
Sturgeon took to Twitter to vent her frustration with the two opposition parties: “Both Labour and the LibDems need to grow up. Who leads a temporary govt that will be in office for just a matter of days is not the key issue. What matters is getting this Tory government out, securing an extension and then having a General Election ASAP.”
The First Minister said she understood that the politics of standing down for someone else would be tricky for Corbyn in an election campaign.
But, she added, she doubts “him prioritising Labour Party interests while the UK crashes out of the EU with No Deal will play well for them in an election either”.
A Plaid Cymru source told the BBC: “It’s not about who, but about how we stop a disastrous crash-out Brexit. This is about policies not personalities.
“Plaid Cymru has said we will work with anyone who can command a majority if a caretaker administration is needed to block a No Deal, secure an extension and deliver a referendum.”
Key to either a vote of no confidence or invoke Standing Order 24 – the process for taking control of the order paper – would be the support of the 21 former Tory MPs kicked out of the party last month.
They won’t countenance putting Corbyn in Number 10, and yesterday they seemed to be willing to give Johnson’s attempts at securing a deal from Brussels the benefit of the doubt.
READ MORE: Labour cannot be trusted to stick to any independence deal
Meanwhile, former Labour frontbencher John Woodcock said the party would be saying “goodbye” to the chance of securing a second Brexit referendum if it continued to push for Corbyn to lead an emergency government.
“Jeremy Corbyn could do more damage to UK security in a few short weeks as prime minister than Kim Philby did in years as a spy,” tweeted Woodcock, now an independent MP.
“If my friends in Labour don’t rule him out as caretaker PM they can wave goodbye to a People’s Vote.”
It is understood there will be further meetings this week between party whips.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Government will today publish an overview of its preparations for dealing with a No-Deal Brexit.
Deputy first minister John Swinney, who is to make a statement in Parliament, said: “The Scottish Government strenuously opposes a No Deal but, as a responsible government, we must do all we can to address its potential impact. This report will help the Scottish people understand the risks we face."
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