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Keir Starmer has suffered resignations from his main bank after MPs defied his order to vote on the Brexit trade bill.
Helen Hayes resigned as a spokesperson for the Cabinet Office, saying, “I cannot vote for this damaging deal and I abstained today.”
Florence Eshalomi resigned like a whip, protesting: “This bill was rushed and a ‘no deal’ is the worst outcome for the country, but I cannot support the bill.”
And Tonia Antoniazzi resigned as an assistant to the work and pensions team, insisting that she remained “fully committed to electing a Labor government in 2024.”
In all, 36 Labor MPs are believed to have rebelled, nearly one in five of the total, but only one voted against the legislation, Bell Ribeiro-Addy of Streatham.
Earlier, Jeremy Corbyn, who was expelled from the parliamentary party, said he would also abstain and joined his left-wing ally Diane Abbott.
The revolt came when the bill cleared the commons with an overwhelming majority of 448, by 521 votes to 73, before heading to the House of Lords.
Abbott told the Commons: “By pushing this landmark agreement through Parliament on a day with no time for proper scrutiny, this government is destroying democracy.
“It fails the British people, it fails my constituents and I have to fulfill my responsibilities as a Member of the British Parliament and vote against today.” In the end, he abstained.
And Corbyn, the former leader, tweeted: “I cannot vote for this agreement, which this government will use to reduce rights and protections, and increase the liquidation of our vital public services.
“Instead we need to break away from failed race-to-bottom policies and build a UK that puts people before private profit.”
It creates the enormous irony that Corbyn, a renowned Eurosceptic, rejects the exit agreement, while Sir Keir, an arch-Europhile, voted in favor.
“Those who vote no today, want yes. They want others to save them from their own vote, ”he said.
“Vote no, want yes. That is the truth of the situation and that is why my party has taken a different path ”.
Not a single Conservative MP voted against the deal, an extraordinary show of unity, after decades of bitter infighting over Europe, and only Owen Paterson and John Redwood abstained.
Other Labor abstainers included former Justices Ben Bradshaw, Kevin Brennan, Richard Burgeon, Dawn Butler, Neil Coyle, Stella Creasy and Clive Lewis.
The 75 opponents in the Commons, including two scrutineers, also included the Scottish National Party (44), the Liberal Democrats (11), the Democratic Unionist Party (8) and Plaid Cymru (3).
