Forget talking to the PM about her historic Brexit defeat – Corbyn must listen to Labour members now

There are many things to criticise Corbyn for, but failing to indulge Theresa May’s games isn’t one of them

Consensus! Cuddles! That’s what we need now. But Jeremy Corbyn is being a big meany and won’t join in the parliamentary group hug.

Much has been made of the prime minister’s offer of meetings with “senior parliamentarians” to supposedly discuss “a way forward” and find “consensus” after her dismal Brexit deal was the subject of an historic House of Commons defeat for a governing party.

Corbyn, by contrast to the other opposition party leaders, refused to join the circle and sing “Kumbaya”.

Outrageous, declared a senior political journalist from the Boris Beano (The Daily Telegraph in case you were wondering).

How dare the leader of the opposition, who gets a six figure salary from the state, you know, oppose?

Just when we need people to “come together” and do what the prime minister tells them to do, how dare Jezza do something different?

They weren’t alone in singing “boo Corbyn” either.

The problem with the meetings is, as my colleague John Rentoul has pointed out today, that May appears set on carrying on in the same vein and with the same strategy regardless of the kicking she took from parliament.

She was helped out by all the multifarious hues of Tory rebel returning to the fold to back her in a confidence vote. There is only one thing that really unifies her fractious bunch – and it is abject horror at the prospect of Corbyn writing a Queen’s Speech.

The Commons meetings after that were nothing more than a PR stunt designed to portray May as seeking consensus in the popular imagination when she was doing anything but, and consensus doesn’t exist.

The closest we have is that no deal would be a disaster and must be avoided at all costs, a view held by all but the pals of Osama bin Brexit, Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The leaders of the smaller parties went along because it gave them publicity, relevance and kudos for being goodies, even though most told May she needs to do something she says she won’t do, which is to give the British people she’s always banging on about the Final Say they deserve.

Corbyn won’t go that far either. His position remains woolly because he’s still trying to be all things to all people. As Rentoul pointed out, he’s also carrying on in the same vein.

However that means there is more wiggle room in his position than those of the other party leaders.

The last thing he wants is having a spotlight thrown on that and then having May and her allies blame him for being intransigent and not being willing to move it enough in her direction to resolve the situation to her liking, even though she isn’t willing to move in anyone’s direction other than her own.

So he refused to talk unless she would do something else she won’t do, which is to formally rule out no deal. You can argue that his motivations for that are less than pure, even that it is a fig leaf, but his position makes some sense.

A no deal would be an utter disaster for the UK economy, its people, its place in the world. Why talk with someone if they’re threatening to pull the pin out of a hand grenade and throw it at the country when there’s a risk of guilt by association?

Cynical? Maybe. But it’s an entirely logical position to hold when confronting a bully.

There is much to criticise Corbyn for. At a time when there is a desperate need for leadership in the country, he isn’t providing it.

We could still end up in a very bad situation, and he may play a part in that. He could still serve as the midwife to the Tory wreck of the country.

To prevent that from happening, he should listen to Labour members and pay due regard to the party democracy he has always claimed to support and that took him to power.

But his failure to indulge May with her games? He’s refusal to play ball is justified.