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Politics Explained

Why is Jeremy Corbyn thinking of voting against an early election?

The Labour Party has been calling for another election ever since the last one, but now that the prime minister is offering one it seems to be shying away, John Rentoul writes

Tuesday 03 September 2019 22:41 BST
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Labour leader doesn’t want PM to control date of election
Labour leader doesn’t want PM to control date of election

Of course, we are the opposition party, we want a general election,” Jeremy Corbyn said on Monday. He confirmed that Labour would back an early election under any circumstances if Boris Johnson were to call one.

Within hours, the sounds of gears being thrown into reverse could be heard in Westminster. Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, a lawyer who understands small print, realised there was a danger of the Labour Party walking into a trap designed by the prime minister.

Then after Tuesday night’s vote, when Johnson indicated he would call for an early election, Corbyn told him: “Get the bill through first in order to take no-deal off the table.”

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