Withington MP Jeff Smith could face being sacked as Labour whip after deciding to defy Jeremy Corbyn by voting against the triggering of Brexit.

Mr Smith, whose south Manchester constituency strongly backed Remain in last summer’s referendum, confirmed he would not be voting to invoke Article 50 - which will start the process of leaving the EU in motion - despite the Labour leader ordering all his MPs to do so next week.

Mr Corbyn said Labour MPs would be subject to a three-line whip, the strongest order for members to turn up and vote as directed by the party leadership.

That puts the Withington MP in an awkward position, not only because voting against Article 50 will make him a rebel - but because he is currently himself a whip, tasked with cajoling other MPs into toeing the party line.

It is unclear whether he will voluntarily quit as whip, whether he will be sacked or whether he will be allowed to stay on, a move that would be essentially unheard of.

When asked by the M.E.N, he said simply that he remains whip at the moment.



(Image: Andy Lambert)

However he said he could not vote to trigger Brexit, given the views of his constituents, adding that a second referendum should be held on any deal struck by the government with the EU.

“My constituents voted strongly for remain and I think it’s important to represent their view,” he said.

“I am not convinced that the government has a proper plan for negotiating a deal in the UK’s best interest, and I also think any deal should go back to the country.”

Mr Smith is likely to be quizzed on his position at a meeting of his constituency Labour party this evening.

He is one of several Labour MPs representing remain-voting constituencies said to be preparing to defy Mr Corbyn, including two shadow ministers reportedly considering resigning over the issue.

At a meeting with their leader this morning a number of shadow ministers reportedly argued against imposing a three-line whip, while others - including shadow shadow business secretary Clive Lewis - had argued publicly for a free vote.

However Mr Corbyn, while saying he understood the pressures faced by MPs representing remain constituencies, told Sky News: “It will be a clear decision that we want all of our MPs to support the Article 50 vote when it comes up next week. It’s clearly a three-line whip.”