This evening, Jeremy Corbyn walked out of a meeting between opposition party leaders and the Prime Minister about Brexit. The reason for his angry protest had nothing to do with what was being discussed, but his distaste for one of the attendees. Former Labour MP Chuka Umunna was there to represent the Independent Group, and this, according to those present, was too much for the Labour leader to stomach.
Labour has since said the the terms of the meeting had changed and that this wasn’t what Corbyn had agreed to when he said he would meet the Prime Minister in her office. But this is an impressive own goal, even by the Labour leader’s standards. Not only does it give the Independent Group more publicity, and also benefit the other opposition party leaders who stayed, it also makes it much easier for Theresa May to claim, as she did a little later this evening in Downing Street, that petty politicians are holding up the Brexit process.
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