So far as his keenest supporters are concerned, Jeremy Corbyn has always been on the Right Side of History. From challenging Thatcherism, taking on apartheid, standing up against the Iraq War, to opposing austerity, Corbyn, they believe, has always been unafraid to embrace morally correct causes no matter how unpopular they were at the time. This is what distinguishes him from all previous leaders of the Labour party. That makes Corbyn’s recent announcement on Brexit all the more remarkable. He has said that if Labour forms a government after the next general election and holds a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, he will remain neutral.
Yet according to YouGov, two-thirds of Britons think Brexit is the most important issue facing the country today. Many commentators even believe it defines the deepest crisis in British history since the summer of 1940. But on this matter, Corbyn is determined to sit on the fence.
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