‘THE GOVERNMENT is in chaos,’ Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told Parliament yesterday, responding to Tory PM May’s speech attempting to defend her Brexit capitulation to the EU.
Corbyn said: ‘After two years of bungled negotiations the government has produced a botched deal, which breaches the Prime Minister’s own red lines and does not meet our six tests. ‘The deal risks leaving the country in an indefinite half way house, without a real say.’
Referring to the resignation earlier in the day of May’s own Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab quitting first thing in the morning he said: ‘Even the last Brexit Secretary, who theoretically at least negotiated the deal says: “I cannot support the proposed deal” what faith does that give anyone else in this place or in this country?
‘The government simply cannot put to Parliament this half-baked deal, that both the Brexit Secretary and his predecessor have rejected.’ Along with Raab, Esther McVey, the Work and Pensions Secretary also quit.
Junior Brexit minister Suella Braveman also quit, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a ministerial aide for the Education Department resigned as did the Northern Ireland Minister Shailesh Vara, Ranil Jayawardena resigned as Parliamentary Private Secretary, making six resignations before May even spoke in Parliament.
After she spoke, Rehman Chishti, Vice-Chairman of the Tory Party quit as did Nikki Da Costa, Downing Street’s director of Legislative Affairs. Corbyn continued: ‘Article three of the agreement states, transition can be extended to end by 31st December 20XX.
‘Can the Prime Minister confirm that this permits extensions to be rolled on until 2099?’
He concluded by saying: ‘This is not the deal the country was promised and Parliament cannot and I believe will not accept a false choice between this bad deal and no deal. ‘People around the country will be feeling anxious this morning about the industries they work in, the jobs they hold, about the stability of their communities and their countries. ‘The government must now withdraw this half-baked deal which is clear does not have the backing of the cabinet, this parliament or the country as a whole.’
