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UK Labour deputy leader says Brexit stance behind effort to oust him
The deputy leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour Party said on Saturday that his stance on Brexit, where he backs a second referendum before a parliamentary election, unlike leader Jeremy Corbyn, is behind efforts by some in the party to remove him.
Jon Lansman, the founder of the left-wing grassroots movement Momentum, has proposed a motion to abolish the post of deputy leader, currently held by Tom Watson, according to two party officials.
“It seems that my position on Brexit, where I very strongly believe that we need to work with other parties to stop a ‘no-deal’ (exit from the EU), where I’ve been campaigning for a referendum where I believe we should campaign for ‘remain’ ... I just think Jon Lansman and his faction are so angry about that, they’d rather abolish me than have a debate with me about it,” Watson told BBC radio.
