Jeremy Corbyn faces threat of shadow cabinet resignations

[T_i_B]

Source: BBC

Jeremy Corbyn is on a collision course with his shadow cabinet over his opposition to UK air strikes in Syria.

Half of them support military action - and some have warned of resignations if he forces them to back his position.

The row erupted after the Labour leader wrote to his MPs saying he was not convinced by David Cameron's case for bombing IS targets in Syria.

Some shadow ministers felt he was trying to put pressure on them before they had agreed a common position.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34940728

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More on the ongoing civil war engulfing the UK Labour party.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. The Labour Party still has a number of Blairites

[T_i_B]

2. And most of those are in Parliament

The huge gap between Labour MP's and supporters is a major issue for Labour.

That said, I don't think that Jeremy Corbyn has handled this well. And if he doesn't agree to a free vote he could be gone as Labour leader by Christmas.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. I'm hoping that he stays on

I think he is good to shake up the stagnant party. It is very different today than when I was a member.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Vote on Wednesday; Corbyn has agreed to a free vote for Labour MPs

David Cameron will stage a Commons vote on Wednesday on whether to extend UK airstrikes against Islamic State targets to Syria, meaning that RAF crews could be bombing the Isis headquarters in Raqqa by the end of the week.

Cameron was finally freed to take the military step he has wanted since last summer after the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, agreed at a bitter shadow cabinet meeting on Monday to give his MPs a free vote on the issue.

The Conservative chief whip, Mark Harper, had sought permission from opposition parties to stage a debate in which the Labour party’s divisions will be exposed. Corbyn will express his longstanding opposition to airstrikes at the outset of the debate, and the shadow foreign secretary, Hilary Benn, will offer his broad support at the end.

About 60 Labour MPs support airstrikes, enough to ensure the prime minister has a Commons majority of more than 100. The relatively quick timetable for staging the vote will upset Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, a supporter of airstrikes, since he is pressing No 10 to delay in order to answer Labour MPs’ continuing doubts.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/nov/30/commons-vote-syria-airstrikes-labour-jeremy-corbyn-isis

I thought he would, because so many of his shadow cabinet had wanted it; and John McDonnell, probably his closest ally, had come out in support of a free vote - though I suspect he himself is against Syrian airstrikes: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/nov/28/labour-mps-should-have-free-vote-on-isis-airstrikes-mcdonnell