Labour MPs on the rampage over Brexit boycott

Well, that lasted long. Despite hopes for a show of unity at this year’s Labour conference, the peace came to an abrupt end on its first day after members voted so that Brexit was not picked in the ‘priority ballot’. This means that while there will still be a discussion on Brexit, there will be no motion to vote on – rendering it all rather meaningless.

Helpfully for journalists, this decision came just minutes before the annual Progress rally. Progress is the Blairite pro-EU wing of the party – and in recent years, its main conference event has  begun to resemble a group therapy session for down-and-out centrists. After a surprisingly good defeat in the general election, this year this faction of the party is torn over how much to credit the result to Corbyn and how much to credit it to its own campaigners. On Europe, however, the message is clear: Brexit could be a disaster for the country and must be diluted or – if possible – avoided.