Labour 'could lose 100 MPs' as Jeremy Corbyn calls for snap general election while Angela Eagle.....

[steve2470]

Labour 'could lose 100 MPs' as Jeremy Corbyn calls for snap general election while Angela Eagle launches bid for leadership

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/11/angela-eagle-jeremy-corbyn-labour-leadership-theresa-may/

Jeremy Corbyn has demanded a snap general election in a move that critics said was a “foolish” attempt to “hang on” as leader that could see 100 Labour MPs lose their seats.

Speaking after Andrea Leadsom’s resignation, Jon Trickett, Labour’s election co-coordinator and a key Corbyn ally, said the next prime minister must be “democratically elected” and put the party on an "election footing".

However Labour moderates said the call was “the equivalent of running full pelt off the edge of a cliff” and could see the number of Labour MPs elected cut in half.

Recent polls have put Labour eight points behind the Conservatives – a greater lead than the Tories won in the 2015 general election.

on edit: This story is 8 hours old, so maybe the Torygraph is making something out of nothing ? The Guardian has nothing on this besides an unclickable headline.

[Denzil_DC]

1. The Telegraph's noted for its unsensational headlines

Conservative MPs in uproar as Boris Johnson 'rips party apart' by withdrawing from leadership contest after ambush by Michael Gove

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/30/boris-johnson-wont-run-for-prime-minister-after-michael-gove-ent/

[steve2470]

2. excellent point! nt

[Denzil_DC]

3. I watched the TV interview this bit's based on:

"It now looks likely that we are about to have the coronation of a new Conservative Prime Minister,” he said.

“It is crucial, given the instability caused by the Brexit vote, that the country has a democratically elected Prime Minister. I am now putting the whole of the party on a General Election footing.

"It is time for the Labour Party to unite and ensure the millions of people in the country left behind by the Tories' failed economic policies, have the opportunity to elect a Labour government".

Trickett's the party's election co-ordinator. He'd be derelict in his duty if he didn't make preparations given how volatile everything is at the moment. But where's the quote from Corbyn to stand up the "calls for snap election" headline?

Loved this bit:

One NEC member compared Mr Corbyn to the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in his refusal to get nominations from MPs, saying: “You can’t have people elected for life.”

Almost as much as I enjoyed this:

One Labour MP said the party could lose more than 100 seats - close to half of the 230 they currently hold - while another said the losses would more likely be around 50.

Super-duper polling there! Shame. Labour were level with the Tories in some polls before the rolling revolutionaries started strutting their stuff the morning after the Brexit vote. For example:

Westminster voting intention:
CON: 32% (-5)
LAB: 32% (+2)
UKIP: 16% (-)
LDEM: 9% (+2)
(via Survation, online / 24 - 25 Jun)

https://twitter.com/britainelects/status/747044869118500864

[RelativelyJones]

4. It might just be worth it

To see the obnoxious, smarmy Tom Watson out on his ass.

[LeftishBrit]

5. Whatever you think of Watson..

and he's undoubtedly been a disappointment as deputy leader, he was one of the few people prepared to take on Murdoch; and for that he deserves credit.

And he's most unlikely to lose his seat; it's been in Labour hands since it was created.

Actually, no Labour MPs should lose their seats, given that foul mess the Tories have created. But circular firing squads don't aid electability.

[Ken Burch]

6. the anti-Corbyn MPs could block a snap election by refusing to vote for it.

Under the Fixed Elections Act, a snap election can only be called if two-thirds of the HoC vote to do so.

And we can't even assume the Tory MPs would vote for a snap election.

A lot of them would be afraid of losing seats to UKIP, since Theresa May, the new Tory PM, was a Remain supporter.

It's just going to get weirder.