This article is more than 11 months old

This article is more than 11 months old

Jeremy Corbyn has claimed that no Labour MP could support Boris Johnson’s alternative to the backstop, amid a growing No 10 campaign to woo his backbenchers.

The opposition leader told parliament the prime minister’s plans were simply unworkable and part of a cynical attack upon workers’ rights.

“Deal or no deal, this government’s agenda is clear,” he said. “They want a Trump-deal Brexit that would crash our economy and rip away the standards that put a floor under people’s rights at work.

“No Labour MP could support such a reckless deal that would be used as a springboard to attack rights and standards in this country.”

But, behind the scenes, Downing Street figures have approached Labour MPs in the hope of persuading them to vote for Johnson’s proposals.

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If Johnson is able to get a deal through parliament by 19 October, with the support of 322 MPs, it would release him from his obligations under the so-called Benn act to seek an extension to article 50.

Although parliamentary calculations will only become relevant if the EU backs the proposals, an increasing number of Labour MPs have said they are considering voting for it.

John Mann, the MP for Bassetlaw who supported Theresa May’s failed withdrawal deal, said he would vote for Johnson’s plan and believed there were more than enough Labour votes “to pass any agreed deal”.

Jim Fitzpatrick, the outgoing MP for Poplar and Canning Town, said he was “tempted” to lend his support.

“I voted for May’s deal on 29 March on the basis that I thought it was probably the last chance before we were hitting no deal.” he said. “This may actually be the last chance before we hit no deal.

“I think it looks as though the prime minister has got his side quite well lined up, so I don’t think it will take an awful lot to get this over the line.”

Other Labour MPs expected to support the proposals include Melanie Onn, the MP for Grimsby who told ITV’s Peston on Wednesday that she would vote for it if the alternative was a no-deal Brexit, and the Stoke-on-Trent MPs Ruth Smeeth and Gareth Snell, who have indicated they are likely to support a Johnson proposal in the current circumstances.

Stephen Kinnock, the Labour MP for Aberavon who successfully proposed an amendment to May’s deal, has said he will wait to see how Brussels and Dublin react before commenting.

The prime minister already appears to have shored up support from the DUP and hardline Eurosceptics in his own party.

Steve Baker, the chairman of the European Research Group of hardline Tory Brexiters, signalled that he could back a deal.

Their positions could well alter if Brussels insists on changes, as seems likely.

Labour sources said that Johnson’s behaviour in the chamber – when he repeatedly used phrases such as “surrender” and “betray” – had damaged his ability to win over Labour MPs.

“This deal rips up even the limited guarantees that were offered [in the May deal],” one source said.