Labour activists are to target 30 Labour MPs with warnings of “a moment of reckoning” including deselections unless they vote down any Brexit deal brought by Theresa May, organising phone banks and campaign days to pile pressure on MPs.
The drive, which is co-ordinated by the leftwing, pro-referendum group Another Europe is Possible, will involve dozens of activists targeting the constituencies of MPs who broke the whip on the amendment by Yvette Cooper, which would have sought to extend the article 50 negotiating period.
The group is led by Michael Chessum, a former member of the Momentum steering group, although it is not directed by that group’s leadership.
MPs set to be targeted by the group include key supporters of Jeremy Corbyn, including Bolsover’s Dennis Skinner and Crewe’s Laura Smith.
Others include key MPs who have spoken out against a second referendum, including Gareth Snell and Caroline Flint, as well as those who have backed May’s Brexit deal already, including Ian Austin and John Mann.
Members of the frontbench, including the shadow housing minister Melanie Onn and the shadow justice minister Gloria De Piero, are also being targeted.
A total of 26 MPs voted against or abstained the Cooper amendment, which fell last week. MPs are expected to submit fresh motions for votes this week when the government gives another statement on the progress of the Brexit negotiations.
However, the action is also being planned in the constituencies of some MPs who have so far not rebelled on Brexit votes – including Wigan’s Lisa Nandy and Rotherham’s Sarah Champion.
Another Europe is Possible, one of the key groups behind the push to get a second referendum debated at party conference, said it plans street stalls, leafleting and door-knocking in local areas – many of them heavily pro-leave constituencies – to put pressure on MPs.
Local members will be urged to submit a new emergency motion to their local parties (CLPs), demanding their MPs vote down any measure that backs May’s deal.
The two sentence motion, which has already been submitted for debate in a number of CLPs, reads: “It is essential that you, as our MP, vote against any Tory Brexit deal in the House of Commons and for amendments which prevent a no-deal Brexit. You must vote against to defend us from the damage that such a deal would inflict on our community.”
Organiser Alena Ivanova, a Momentum activist in Jim Fitzpatrick’s Poplar and Limehouse constituency, said: “Voting down the Tory deal is a huge opportunity for Labour. Whether you want an election or a referendum – or, like most Labour members, both – this is our chance to force the political agenda and kick the Tories out.
“Labour MPs need to understand the depth of feeling in their local communities and parties. It’s self-indulgent and irresponsible for MPs to prop up Theresa May. This is a moment of reckoning.”
Another organiser, Gordon Watson, the deputy leader of Rotherham council, said: “A lot of party activists have respect for their MP, they work with them all the time. But this is a serious issue.
“Failing to vote for good amendments could result in no deal, and that’s a catastrophe. Failing to vote against the Tory deal is essentially propping up a government that is wrecking our communities. People are running out of patience. The rebels could end up facing selection battles.”
MPs reacted angrily to the threats from activists. Gareth Snell, the MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, told the Guardian: “If there are activists in the Labour movement who have got time to make phone calls to my constituents, then they can come and phone bank in my constituency to help us win back Stoke-on-Trent city council and elect Labour councillors in the local elections in May.”
Onn said she had regular “full and frank conversations” at her monthly meetings with members in her Grimsby constituency. “Just last week we discussed my position opposing a second referendum, my abstention on the amendment to extend article 50 and Labour’s approach to Brexit for over two hours,” she said.
“We are all disappointed to have been put in this position, which comes as a result of a reckless gamble by David Cameron purely to keep his own party together, but recognise there was a referendum that Labour pledged to respect the outcome of.”
Austin said he had made a promise to his Dudley constituents to respect the result of the referendum. “Threatening to deselect good, hard-working MPs who listen to local people and keep the party’s manifesto promises isn’t going to help anyone,” he said.
“I have consistently voted against leaving with no deal as this would hit jobs in manufacturing, but our manifesto gave a clear promise to uphold the result of the referendum. I respect the people I represent and I don’t think manifesto promises like that can be discounted lightly.”
Austin added: “I’m worried about the economic impact of Brexit but I am also worried about the impact on trust in our democracy if we do not keep the promise we made to uphold the result of the referendum.”