‘FIRST thing is we will vote against Theresa May’s deal,’ John McDonnell Labour Shadow Chancellor said yesterday about her Brexit deal, after the government confirmed that the vote will go ahead today.
‘It looks like it is the same deal that she had a few weeks ago that had a catastrophic defeat.
‘Secondly, we will vote against no-deal certainly because of the disastrous consequences on jobs and our economy.
‘I think she is inevitably going to have to look for some sort of extension, but Brussels have said to her “Look, that extension has to be for a purpose”.
‘That purpose is either for negotiating a proper deal or getting the legislation through.
‘But, the legislation seeks 600 statutory instruments to get her deal through, I think that they have only passed 200 of them so far.
‘This is incompetence in a government we have not seen before.
‘First of all, we have to nail this issue of no-deal, get that off the table.
‘Vote against the government’s deal because it is disastrous.’
Referring to Labour’s proposal of permanent membership of a customs union and alignment with the single market, McDonnell said: There is another option of a deal that we have put forward, Brussels seem to think that there is a basis for negotiation on that.
‘But we have also said if there can’t be agreement about that, or if some MPs are saying “we are willing to vote for that but we want it confirmed in another public vote”, we will support that as well.’
Put to him that he is not moving towards a second referendum very rapidly he responded: ‘We are, we have been because we have put it on the table in Parliament a few weeks ago.
‘This week I think we have agreed across the party, and even the people’s vote campaigners have said, we have got to use this week to kill off no deal and kill off Theresa May’s deal and then we can move and discuss either a realistic deal or going back to the people.’
It is rumoured that McDonnell and deputy leader Tom Watson are squaring up for a head-to-head battle for the Labour Party leadership should Jermey Corbyn be ousted.
- The EU is ready to charge the UK £1bn for every month that Brexit is delayed!
It is preparing punitive measures against the UK if they delay the process, it was reported yesterday.
EU member states are hardening; their attitude towards a delay and will demand ‘legal and financial conditions’ including a multi-billion pound increase to the £39bn ‘divorce’ payment.
