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I'm resistant to the idea that the People's Vote was purely an anti-Corbyn astroturf movement (though I certainly understand why others think this). For me, a better explanation is that it's the kind of thing centrism does when it has no short-term prospect of power >
Centrism is essentially a form of electoral calculation. It means positioning oneself between conflicting poles in the hope of picking up more votes than those who occupy those poles. Ie. It is a "geometric" position, driven by electoral strategy, rather than an ideological one
So, for eg., in practice, chasing socially conservative voters always takes precedence over the liberal principles that centrists claim to support in theory. This explains a big part of Blairism's illiberal streak & why Starmer can now pivot to backing Brexit without blushing
Centrists tend to frame electoral triangulation as "moderation", but it is only ever moderate in relation to current alternatives. In historic terms, the ideological centre shifts dramatically & centrists play a key role in this when they triangulate with a radicalising right
Despite all this, actually-existing centrists like to see themselves as ideological liberals, internationalists, anti-fascists etc. These are political identities that they hold strongly, even if they will always sacrifice them to electoral calculation when circumstances demand
All this is to say that PV was an outburst of liberal idpol at a moment when there were no short-term electoral gains to be won with triangulation. They really believed it at the time, but now it conflicts with a concrete project of power they have abandoned it unceremoniously
I don't know if this is better or worse than saying they never really believed in PV & just used as a wedge against Corbyn. But I find it a more convincing explanation of the contradictions between centrism & liberalism, & of the subjectivity of those who occupy this space
