Harriet Harman: MPs had to “get on with it” and vote for article 50

The article 50 vote was the “unhappiest night of voting” in the Commons Harriet Harman has ever witnessed she said today.

The referendum needed to be “ratified”, the former deputy leader added, and so parliament had no option but to simply “get on with it”.

The article 50 vote saw some 47 Labour MPs vote against the three line whip, including four shadow ministers who resigned their posts to do so. You can see the full breakdown of how MPs voted here.

Harman warned about the weak public backing Labour has experienced saying that: “you can’t be an effective opposition if you haven’t got enough public support because the government doesn’t need to worry about you, they only look at their own side, they don’t need to be concerned by us.”

“It’s no good having the right arguments or just speaking very loudly, you’ve got to have the public on your side for the government to take any notice of you at all,” she added.

“We do need more public support in order to be an effective opposition, let alone a credible alternative government. We’ve definitely got work to do.”

She rejected the progressive alliance, harking back to the 1980s, when Labour experienced similar polling ratings.

She said what was needed then was for:”Labour to get its act together instead of shouting at the public and telling them they were getting it wrong.”

“We had to listen to them and understand where we were getting it wrong – and that’s what we’ve got to do again”

Asked whether she felt Corbyn was failing women in Labour, Harman urged him to take stronger action.

“The women MPs who’ve had death threats, who’ve had rape threats they’ve been at the sharp edge of it. They definitely know how bad it feels and they’ll be the ones that will drive getting it sorted out.”

“Being a leader is not just saying its a bad thing, it’s doing something about it.”