Labour should ignore right-wingers who “hate blacks, hate women and hate gays” in order to win a second referendum campaign to stay in the EU, Paul Mason has said. The former advisor to John McDonnell said the party should stop trying to convince the “ex-miner sitting in the pub calling migrants cockroaches” to change their mind – and instead focus on inspiring progressive or centrist voters. It comes in the wake of a disastrous European election for Labour, which saw Jeremy Corbyn’s party haemorrhage support to the Greens and Liberal Democrats. Many within the party have blamed the party’s refusal to take a pro-second referendum and pro-Remain stance for the drop in support. Mason also turned his fire on party chairman Ian Lavery, who, he claimed, told members a second Brexit vote would be used as “a weapon to overthrow Jeremy Corbyn” – something denied by Lavery. Lavery, and fellow shadow ministers, had shown a “sentimental understanding of working class politics” and “can’t bear the idea of right-wing thought in their communities”, he said. He also claimed that outside London, Momentum activists failed to campaign during the Euro-elections.

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The deep divisions within Labour emerged as all parties anticipate the election of a new Tory leader resulting in either a snap general election or fresh Brexit referendum as early as this year. Mason, who was speaking at an event on the future of the pro-Remain left at the London School of Economics, said Labour should use the summer to embark on a ‘stop Brexit’ tour of Britain by organising “conventions of progressive people”. He added: “And if people who hate blacks, hate women, hate gays, don’t want to come to them - don’t bother. “Don’t worry about it. They can go off and do their own thing. We need Labour to bring in the Greens, the Lib Dems and the millions who didn’t vote over.” He added: “I’m done with triangulation, not only with right wing voters. I’m done with triangulation from members of the shadow cabinet.” He added: “I’m done with people saying ‘we can’t lose the working class’, a Lithuanian nurse is working class, an Afghan taxi driver is working class. “An ex-miner sitting in the pub calling migrants cockroaches has not only no added human capital above the people I just mentioned but it’s also not the person we are interested in.” It comes after Mason and Lavery became embroiled in a Twitter spat in the immediate aftermath of the Euro-elections result.

Had a lot of respect for you @paulmasonnews but calling for the sacking of hard working committed @uklabour staff is a shocking response from a so called JC supporting socialist.



What happened to workers of the world unite ? https://t.co/AXW4oxQLaK — Ian Lavery MP (@IanLaveryMP) May 27, 2019

I'm calling for your resignation as well. If people actively obstruct the leader, brief against him, refuse to enact decisions they are not doing their jobs - and how can we have a party chair who breaks the whip? — Paul Mason (@paulmasonnews) May 27, 2019