Jeremy Corbyn’s reaction this week to the poisoning of a former Russian double agent on British soil has re-opened old wounds within the Labour party. The Labour leader’s apparent refusal to condemn Moscow involvement was made worse when his spokesman Seumas Milne appeared to cast doubt on the analysis by British intelligence agencies – suggesting that ‘there’s a history in relation to WMD and intelligence which is problematic to put it mildly’. Since then, key Corbyn ally Chris Williamson has branded Labour MPs who back Theresa May’s stance on Russia – rather than Corbyn’s – as ‘political enemies’.
So who’s saying what and which MPs are considering a break with Corbyn? Some think stopping Brexit is the defining issue, so while they disagree with his tone on Russia they’d not consider breaking away. Others are seeing Corbyn’s position as the latest sign of his distortion of the Labour Party and its multilateralist tradition – raising doubts about whether they could prop up his government.
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