EU Bill clears first hurdle amid Labour disarray

'I have taken the unusual step of listening to the debate, rather than contributing to it' - Kevin Brennan MP.

Kevin Brennan may be a wannabe rock star but he is not a serial rebel. His rare votes against the party line are all the more noteworthy for that.

The Cardiff West MP was one of 10 Labour frontbenchers who voted against the triggering of Article 50 in the Commons on Wednesday night.

He signalled his rebellion (against a three-line Labour whip) in a brief intervention in his colleague Madeleine Moon's speech.

"I have taken the unusual step of listening to the debate, rather than contributing to it," said the shadow arts minister. "Having listened for many hours over the last two days, I will join my honourable friend in voting against second reading this evening."

'Authority'

And so he did. But, at time of writing, he is still a shadow arts minister. The other rebel frontbenchers remain in post. As, extraordinarily, do three whips who voted against a three-line whip. MPs responsible for party discipline chose to flout it, which may tell you something about Jeremy Corbyn's authority as Labour leader.

Mr Corbyn's closest ally, John McDonnell, has suggested that frontbenchers outside the shadow cabinet could keep their jobs.

He said: "The parliamentary convention will apply, which is that, if you are in the cabinet or shadow cabinet, you will stand down.

"For other positions that will be for the chief whip to report and that will be in due course. I am not going to pre-empt what the whip is going to recommend."

'Search'

No decision will be taken until the European Union (Notice of Withdrawal) Bill has cleared the Commons on February 8, possibly because other shadow ministers may vote against the Bill at its third reading.

Meanwhile, the search for a new shadow Welsh secretary (Labour's fifth since the 2015 general election) continues. One suggestion was that Nia Griffith could be asked to move from defence to resume her former role (and presumably be replaced by a less Nato-friendly MP).

Sources close to the Llanelli MP suggest that in those circumstances she might prefer to leave the shadow cabinet.

Another option could be to promote Jo Stevens' deputy, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney MP Gerald Jones.

Or there's always Paul Flynn...