John McDonnell says Jeremy Corbyn will quit if Labour loses next general election
3 min read
John McDonnell has said that he and Jeremy Corbyn will resign from Labour’s top team if the party loses a snap general election.
The Shadow Chancellor said he “can’t see” himself or his party leader staying in their posts under such circumstances, and that he believed Mr Corbyn's successor should be a woman.
Speculation is mounting that an election could take place soon after the 31 October Brexit deadline has passed.
When asked in an interview with Alastair Campbell for GQ, whether it would be “possible” for Mr Corbyn to continue as leader in the wake of a second election defeat, he said: “I can't see... I think it is the same for my own personal position, I can't see so.
“What we'd do is as the tradition, which is have an election for a new leader. I'm still of the view now that whoever comes after Jeremy has got to be a woman.
“We've got to have a woman leader. If you look at the new youngsters that have come through, they are fantastic.”
Elsewhere in the interview Mr McDonnell also appeared to soften his previous opposition to a second EU referendum taking place before a general election.
He is one of several Shadow Cabinet figures, including Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry, who believe Labour should not back an imminent election.
When asked whether he agreed that there “shouldn't be an election”, Mr McDonnell said: “I'm more of the view that we've said up until now that we want a general election.
“That, of course, is what our objective is, but let’s see what actually Parliament will wear in the end.
“Within Parliament itself there is a large number of people who are saying we'd rather have a referendum attached to any deal.
When pressed further he said: "I want a general election, actually. I would like a general election."
He also said while there was “potential” for an election to resolve the deadlock, MPs were working in a “limited timescale” to arrive at a decision.
“I'm not sure there is a majority on the floor of the House Of Commons for a referendum before a general election but I'm a bit more nuanced about that,” he added.
“I just really want to say whatever we do we've got to block no deal, whichever is the best route.”
Mr McDonnell also said that he did not support Labour’s decision to expel Mr Campbell and would welcome him back into the fold, adding: " Come back, Alastair, all is forgiven!"
Tony Blair’s former spin-doctor was ousted from the party in May after he announced he had voted for the Liberal Democrats at the EU election, in protest at Labour’s Brexit position.
He also branded the attempts to oust Tom Watson ahead of Labour's annual conference last month as a "fiasco".
Denying there were tensions between the deputy leader and Mr Corbyn, he said: "Tom is Tom, he'll make statements on all sorts of things and you'll wake up in the morning and think, “Oh, blimey, what has he done now?” That's all part of it really, part of the joys of life.”
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