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Jeremy Corbyn today faced a showdown with Labour MPs calling for the party to pull out of “toxic” Brexit talks with the Government within days.

They warned of “fury” among MPs and Labour members over the cross-party negotiations, which were branded a “millstone around the necks” of the party’s candidates for the European elections in less than two weeks’ time.

Labour MPs believe the Government is not serious about making concessions to strike a deal on quitting the EU and that the talks are being used by No 10 to keep Theresa May on political “life support”.

Another round of negotiations are planned for next week, but Labour MPs are to demand an end to the talks at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday.

Former shadow cabinet member Mary Creagh told the Evening Standard: “Our members and voters are furious with these talks, which have done nothing except keep the Prime Minister in office and depress Labour’s vote at the local and European elections.

“The Government are playing us for fools. If we stand in the middle of the road on Brexit, we’ll get run over from both directions.”

Former Europe minister Chris Bryant warned Labour could not negotiate with a “phantom PM who will be gone in weeks” and who could not bind her successor into any agreement she makes. “We should stop faffing about, pull out of the talks and put our distinctive position to the people with an option to Remain,” he added.

Ilford North MP Wes Streeting stressed Labour risked being “crushed” between the Brexit Party and the pro-second referendum Liberal Democrats.

“These talks are a millstone around the necks of every Labour candidate at these European elections,” he said. “It’s time for Labour to ditch these toxic talks.”

Owen Smith, who challenged Mr Corbyn to the Labour leadership, said: “These talks are clearly going nowhere fast and Labour cannot afford to be chained to Mrs May’s sinking ship as we approach the Euro elections.”

Former minister Gareth Thomas, MP for Harrow West, added: “It looks like these talks have run to the end of the road and we should play no further part because the Government does not appear to be remotely serious at meeting us even halfway.

“We need to fight the European elections on our own terms, committed to a full referendum on any deal that gets through the Commons, with Remain on the ballot paper as the alternative.”

Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter accused the Government of not being willing to take “even baby steps” towards a deal.

“The only conclusion is that the Government is [in the talks] because it gives a bit of respectability to the Tories and keeps Theresa May on life support .. why should we be doing either?”

However, other Labour MPs are wary of the risks of taking blame for the collapse of the talks.

One former minister said: “If we withdraw, it plays right into the Tories’ hands. We need to keep talking.”

Mr Corbyn does not expect a breakthrough, according to one shadow Cabinet member, and the Labour leader criticised the Government yesterday for refusing to move on its “red lines” or make a “big offer” to end the deadlock. “It’s difficult negotiating with a disintegrating Government with Cabinet ministers jockeying for the succession, rather than working for an agreement,” he said at the launch of Labour European Parliament elections campaign yesterday.

The Conservatives suffered a mauling in the recent town hall elections, losing more than 1,300 councillors — but Labour also did badly, losing more than 80.

Labour has been far more downbeat about the prospect of a positive outcome of the talks, which could centre on a customs union.

But a Downing Street spokesman said: “Last week both Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell recognised that a tough set of local elections results for the major parties was a clear message from voters to get on and deliver Brexit.

“We’re pleased with the renewed impetus in the talks and hopeful that we can bring them to a swift conclusion and finally fulfil the referendum result.”

The Government is running out of options as there are no signs that more than 30 hardline Tory Brexiteers and the Democratic Unionist Party, propping up Mrs May in the Commons, will shift their strong opposition to her Brexit proposals, particularly over the Northern Ireland border “backstop”.

If the talks with Labour run out of steam, ministers have signalled that they will then try another round of indicative votes to try to find a Commons majority for some form of Brexit.

Mrs May could seek to put a Bill on the “divorce” from the EU to a vote in the Commons in an attempt to force it through, despite her Brexit blueprint having already been rejected three times, but this is not expected to happen until after the European elections on May 23