DO not mistake democracy for division, John McDonnell told the BBC’s Today programme early on Monday morning.
“What we’re having is an honest debate,” he insisted, not a “civil war”.
“There isn’t any war in the Labour Party. It’s about honest, democratic debate,” the shadow chancellor said.
READ MORE: Scottish Labour facing wipe-out in snap election, finds internal polling
Hours later Labour delegates spent most of the afternoon knocking blocks off each other.
The brutal scenes may have been democratic (though that was up for debate) but they were certainly also divisive.
Never before has neutrality been so passionate, so angry and so, so bitter.
Delegates at the conference decided that the most important thing for Labour to do when it comes to Brexit was not to appeal to remainers or leavers but to keep Jeremy Corbyn happy.
It’s worth noting that we don’t really know what Labour party members want.
The trade unions have 50% of the vote at conference and most of them were opposed to the Remain motion.
Though we can guess. Of the 90 motions submitted by CLPs on Brexit, 81 of them were calling for Labour to back remain.
In fairness to Labour it would have been weird if they’d voted to be both neutral and to back Remain all at the same time - though for a fair chunk of the day that looked likely.
Labour now go into a general election with a Brexit policy which effectively promises even more Brexit.
If elected, Corbyn – while remaining neutral – will agree a new withdrawal agreement.
The public will then choose between Labour’s deal and remaining in the EU.
Labour won’t decide if it back’s Labour’s deal until a special one day Labour party conference.
It’s still not 100% clear what happens if Labour don’t back Labour’s deal, but the public do. Will Labour have to begrudgingly go ahead with a deal they negotiated but campaigned against?
What does it mean for the party’s election chances though? Interestingly six of Labour’s seven Scottish MPs were very quiet yesterday.
Edinburgh south’s Ian Murray, a passionate remainer, said it was “disappointing”.
“It is simply not tenable for our leadership to be neutral when we face the biggest crisis our country has witnessed in modern times,” he said.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan agreed: ”I do not believe this decision reflects the views of the overwhelming majority of Labour members who desperately want to stop Brexit. Labour IS a Remain party.”
Former Scottish Labour chair Jamie Glackin was less subtle: “That loads of London seats gone btw. And all of them in Scotland. F**king madness,” he tweeted.
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