17 September 2019

Jeremy Corbyn: Only Labour will give the people a final say on Brexit

Boris Johnson and the Conservatives are threatening to drive our country over a no-deal cliff edge in six weeks’ time. He has no mandate for that and is opposed by a majority of the public. Since he became prime minister in July, Johnson has been defeated on every vote he has put to parliament. Now his undemocratic manoeuvrings and his decision to close down parliament and avoid accountability are being challenged in the supreme court. Johnson’s visit to Luxembourg on Monday was a further humiliation. The prime minister went to Europe with no plan and no proposals, and did his best to hide from scrutiny while he was there. [...]

Yellowhammer has raised the stakes even higher. Johnson’s reckless no-deal Brexit would threaten jobs and living standards and increase food prices. And it would pave the way for a one-sided trade deal with Donald Trump that could only be negotiated from a position of weakness.

It would not be a no-deal Brexit, but a Trump-deal Brexit, with a race to the bottom in our rights and protections sold to US corporations.

Nor would no deal be a “clean break”, as some imagine. It would not mean we could “just get on with it”. In reality it would be the start of a whole new period of confusion and delay, as a string of new agreements would have to be hammered out with the EU – but this time against a backdrop of rising unemployment, deepening poverty, and entire industries moving offshore.

Labour will do everything necessary to stop a disastrous no deal, with all the chaos, disruption and job losses it would lead to – and the serious threat it would pose to the Northern Ireland peace process. That’s why we worked with other parties across parliament to pass a law to stop us crashing out at the end of next month.

But as soon as no deal is off the table, and the prime minister has complied with the law, we need a general election to get rid of Johnson’s Tory government. [...]

The people of Britain deserve to have their say in a general election. Only a Labour government would end the Brexit crisis by taking the decision back to the people. We will give the people the final say on Brexit, with the choice of a credible leave offer and remain.

A Labour government would secure a sensible deal based on the terms we have long advocated, including a new customs union with the EU; a close single market relationship; and guarantees of workers’ rights and environmental protections. We would then put that to a public vote alongside remain. I will pledge to carry out whatever the people decide, as a Labour prime minister. [...]

Full column on The Guardian

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