Corbyn faces first big rebellion in UK economy vote

Leftist leader Jeremy Corbyn was facing embarrassment Wednesday in a parliamentary vote on Britain’s economy seen as the first big test of his ability to unite his Labour party behind him.

A string of MPs from the main opposition party will likely refuse to support him in opposing a government measure requiring ministers to run a budget surplus under “normal” economic conditions.

Last month’s election of Corbyn as party leader on a platform of opposition to austerity measures, with huge support from grassroots activists, has provoked despair among centrist Labour MPs.

His close ally, finance spokesman John McDonnell, initially said two weeks ago that Labour would support Wednesday’s motion on the charter for budget responsibility.

But McDonnell told MPs at a Labour meeting in parliament Monday that they should now oppose it, triggering the most public row of Corbyn’s leadership yet.

One former minister, Ben Bradshaw, walked out of the meeting calling it a “total fucking shambles”.

Another senior Labour figure, Mike Gapes, fired out a string of critical tweets, saying the party had “no clarity on economic policy and no credible leadership”.

McDonnell accuses Prime Minister David Cameron and finance minister George Osborne of using the vote to set a political trap for Labour by trying to depict them as a high-spending party.

“Initially I thought it best to treat the vote with the contempt it deserved, vote for the charter, avoid claims of deficit denial and move on,” he wrote in Wednesday’s Independent newspaper.

McDonnell added that while he had changed his mind about tactics in the vote, “we have not changed in our clear and consistent principles.”

At Wednesday’s weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session, Cameron urged Labour MPs disillusioned with Corbyn and McDonnell to vote with the government.

“Tonight we’re going to be voting on whether after eight or nine years of strong economic growth, we should be having a surplus rather than a deficit,” Cameron said.

“I would say to the Labour party, those of you who believe in strong and stable government, a strong and stable economy, come and join us in the lobbies this evening.”

Cameron’s government plans to save £37 billion (49.9 billion euros, $57 billion) over the next five years including £12 billion on welfare.

It plans to cut tax credits — a complex benefits system for people on low incomes — while introducing a “national living wage” set to reach £9 an hour by 2020.