THE LABOUR Party is backing a cross-party bid to ensure the UK cannot leave the EU without a deal, knifing in the back the over 17 million workers and youth who voted in the 2016 Referendum to instruct the UK government to leave.
Labour’s Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the amendment to 11 December’s House of Commons vote on the PM’s Brexit deal will have his ‘full support’. The amendment states that the party cannot support the agreement, as it fails to provide for a customs union and ‘strong single market’ deal. It also says it opposes a no deal withdrawal, and ‘resolves to pursue every option’ that prevents such a scenario.
The amendment is non-binding, but anti-Brexit MPs are banking on May rolling over, if as expected MPs vote down her compromise, half-in half-out EU deal. Their aim is to carry out a parliamentary coup against Brexit, putting Parliament in the driving seat to impose a second referendum, after voting down May’s attempt to have one foot in both camps. May has however repeatedly warned MPs that the only alternative to her Brexit deal is quitting the EU without a deal on 29 March.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told ITV’s This Morning on Thursday that ‘nobody is going to allow “no deal”.’ The amendment, tabled by Labour right winger and chairman of the Brexit select committee, Hilary Benn, is said to have the support of Conservative, Labour, SNP, Liberal Democrat, Plaid Cymru and Green MPs.
Labour MP Yvette Cooper said the amendment would allow MPs to ‘properly debate and vote on the next steps, rather than just leaving it all’ to the prime minister. Former Labour foreign secretary Jack Straw described the amendment as ‘a staging post’ on the way to a further referendum.
There is no doubt that this amendment to overturn Brexit will anger millions of workers who voted to instruct the government to ‘Leave’, after being given the authority to do so by Parliament. The PM, who is in Argentina for the G20 summit, ruled out moving to a Norway-style deal with the EU, an idea being promoted by some Tory MPs.
The Labour leadership has said it is ready to support a cross-party amendment to the vote that would rule out no-deal. Millions of Labour voters will be extremely angry at this tactic, and will consider that Parliament has betrayed them.
Liam Fox, Tory trade minister, warned yesterday that there would be consequences if the House of Commons tried to ‘steal Brexit’ from the people.
