Labour rebels defy Corbyn and threaten PM with 'hard Brexit' revolt

Jeremy Corbyn's awkward squad of pro-EU rebels have written to Theresa May opposing a "hard Brexit" and threatening to vote against her final deal.

Days after the Labour leader was forced to back down on a vow to force his MPs to vote for triggering Article 50, his rebels have defied him once again.

The rebels' leader, Chuka Umunna, says he won't vote against triggering Article 50, but he may vote against the final Brexit deal in a vote now promised by the Prime Minister.

In their letter, 43 Labour MPs accuse Mrs May of threatening to pull Britain out of the European Union without any trade agreement having been reached.

The MPs include Labour's former deputy leader Harriet Harman, two members of the Brexit Select Committee, and two members of the current Labour frontbench.

And 15 of the 43 signatories - 35% of them - represent constituencies that voted to leave the European Union, similar to the percentage of Labour voters who voted Out.

In their letter, the MPs condemn the Prime Minister's claim in her Brexit speech last Tuesday that "a bad deal for Britain is better than no deal for Britain".

They claim leaving the EU without any trade arrangements in place "could sail the UK economy on to the rocks", with high tariffs being levied on British goods exported to the EU.

They also criticise Mrs May for putting "Britain's prosperity below matters of internal Tory party management", and say that she and her Cabinet ministers will be responsible if they fail to get a good deal with the EU.

And they attack her threat to change Britain's economic model, saying to do so would make the UK "the sweatshop of Europe" as public services, workers' rights and environmental protections would inevitably come under threat.

Mr Umunna, the chairman of Vote Leave Watch, said: "Personally, as a democrat and having agreed to the rules under which the referendum was fought, I would find it hard to vote against triggering Article 50.

"But the content of the Brexit deal is a different matter. I am not prepared to give the Tories a blank cheque to make life harder for middle and lower-income households in my constituency, a sentiment which is shared across the House of Commons.

"The Tories think they can avoid responsibility if they fail to get a good deal in these Brexit negotiations, and have given notice they will use it as an excuse to turn Britain into the sweatshop of Europe and a giant tax haven for the multinationals and the super-rich.

"If they do so, Labour MPs will fight them tooth and nail to protect the interests of working people, which is what our party was set up to do."

:: Sky News Presenter Sophy Ridge will be quizzing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on her political programme this morning at 10am.