Merkel ally says Germany should not rush to push UK out of EU
Philip Oltermann
Angela Merkel’s chief of staff this morning said Europe should extend a helping hand to British pro-Europeans rather than rush to push the UK out of the European Union.
Peter Altmaier, who runs Merkel’s chancellory and is seen as her strongest ally in the German government, said:
Should we just be saying: we’re sad that the referendum has ended this way, but now you have to go? I am not sure that would be the right step. Because at this referendum something has happened that I never imagined.
On one hand, the sad result is that 52% said they wanted to leave. But on the other hand – and that’s something that I as a European find deeply moving – even in this country that we often thought of as deeply eurosceptic and not truly European, there has been an incredible turning towards Europe by millions of people ... As a European, I feel a responsibility towards those people.
My colleague Anushka Asthana has more on the meeting that Lisa Nandy, Owen Smith, John Healey, Nia Griffith and Kate Green had with Jeremy Corbyn this morning.
Nandy, Smith, Healey, Griffiths and Green went in not expecting to call for Corbyn to go but furious that "McDonnell barged in" I'm told
Nandy and Smith say Watson should take over as caretaker Labour leader
Lisa Nandy and Owen Smith have put out a joint statement announcing their resignation as shadow energy secretary and shadow work and pensions secretary respectively.
Nandy and Smith call for leadership contest.
Nandy and Smith say Watson should take over as caretaker leader while new leader elected.
Here is the statement in full.
Together with our colleagues from the centre left of the party - John Healey, Nia Griffith, and Kate Green – we just met with Jeremy Corbyn to discuss the future of our party. We had hoped to leave that meeting with the confidence to continue to support the leadership in bringing the Labour party together from within the shadow cabinet. During the course of the meeting it became clear that this would not be possible.
It is therefore with huge sadness that we have resigned from the shadow cabinet. We have both been deeply distressed that this week of all weeks Labour has descended into infighting instead of looking outwards to the country. We do not believe that this is a time for internal warfare. Following the referendum result we believe we in Labour have a unique responsibility to show collective leadership to help bring the country through these difficult times. It has become increasingly apparent in the last 48 hours that this is not a realistic prospect in the current circumstances.
The lack of confidence in the leadership goes beyond the small group of MPs who have consistently opposed Jeremy since his election. It has become clear that he is unable to form a broad, inclusive shadow cabinet that draws on the best of our movement’s left and right traditions. For that reason we have told Jeremy that whilst the party holds a leadership contest - which is now inevitable - we believe Tom Watson ought to take over as a caretaker leader to stabilise the party and to enable us to play a full part as the official opposition in one of the most difficult periods this country has ever faced.
Jess Phillips accuses Corbyn of selfishness, saying he is not interested in what's best for Labour
The Labour MP Jess Phillips has published her letter to Jeremy Corbyn announcing her resignation as a parliamentary private secretary in the shadow education team.
Of the many Labour resignation letters we’ve had in the last 24 hours, this is probably the spikiest and most colourful. Here are two of the key points. (I have added some punctuation in a few places.)
Phillips accused her Corbynista critics of hypocrisy. She also implied they were threatening her with deselection. She said:
Writing or saying anything against you risks my job, the livelihood of my family, the threats are already rolling in. Turns out when you stand up for what you believe in you are principled; when I do it, I am an opportunist, careerist, Blairite of even a Zionist plotter. Funny that. I am a socialist. I live my life as a socialist. I speak up regardless of the risk because I am considerably less important than the struggle.
She accused Corbyn of selfishness, saying he was only interested in himself, not what was best for the party.
The Labour party is not about you, it’s about us. Most of all it’s about them, the brilliant people in the UK, even the ones who don’t agree with us. We need action. We really needed it last week, the week before.
I am really worried that you cannot see that you have made this all about you and not about them. Be the socialist you say you are, do the right thing and let the Labour party be the opposition it needs to be now, when people need it most.
Jess Phillips. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian
It’s defence questions in the Commons this afternoon. And Clive Lewis is the new shadow defence secretary. But, according to Sky’s Darren McCaffrey, Lewis may not make it because he is on his way back from Glastonbury festival.
THICK OF IT ALERT: Labour source: Clive Lewis, is apparently on is way back from Glastonbury and may not make his first Defence Questions!
Germany says EU won't start Brexit talks before article 50 invoked
The German government is saying there will be no informal discussions between Britain and the European Union before the British government has invoked formal divorce proceedings by making a request under article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, a German government spokesman said this morning.
According to Reuters, Steffen Seibert, a spokesman for Angela Merkel, told a briefing:
One thing is clear: before Britain has sent this request there will be no informal preliminary talks about the modalities of leaving.
Only when Britain has made the request according to article 50 will the European Council draw up guidelines in consensus for an exit agreement.
Bryant says Corbyn refused to tell him whether he voted to leave the EU
Chris Bryant, who resigned yesterday as shadow leader of the Commons, has told the BBC that he thinks Jeremy Corbyn may have voted to leave the EU. Corbyn refused to tell him how he voted, he said.
I suspect that Jeremy Corbyn may have voted to leave, Chris Bryant tells @BBCNews#Brexit#EUref
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