Watson was pushing hard for the first Brexit referendum long before it was actually held – but pivot to join march for so-called “people’s vote” caps a campaign of hypocrisy to undermine Labour
Comment
Labour’s notional deputy ‘leader’ Tom Watson has displayed boundless opportunism and hypocrisy in recent weeks. He has attempted to hijack Labour’s disciplinary processes in spite of a dire record of false claims and double standards – as well as trying to shore up the relevance of the Tinge-group quitters when their launch day racism disaster enveloped them.
And now the so-called “people’s vote” campaign has announced that he will speak to its march this weekend.
As the images above show, Watson was pushing then-PM David Cameron and then-Labour leader Ed Miliband for the first referendum to be held at the earliest opportunity, so Watson’s appearance as a speaker looks no less opportunistic than any of his other recent behaviour – especially when the rest of the speakers are considered.
Watson will be joined by Jess Phillips, Michael Heseltine, various Tory MPs, Tory former Cabinet Minister Justine Greening, Tory ex-Attorney General Dominic Grieve and Tory former Justice Minister Phillip Lee – as well as by Tinge-groupers including Anna Soubry alongside Lib Dems Vince Cable and Jo Swinson.
This should tell genuine Labour supporters and voters – and the aware public – all they need to know.
Watson’s hypocrisy and cynical opportunism knows no bounds. He backed Brexit and pushed for the EU referendum remainers hate – and now pivots to back another referendum to overturn the first, even though he favoured leaving the EU as far back as 2015.
If he or the so-called people’s vote campaign think his presence at the march, let alone as a speaker, enhances its credibility instead of damaging it, it merely demonstrates how badly out of touch both he and they are.
Since Watson seems so enthusiastic about the quitter group and their cause, perhaps he could do Labour a favour and join them, so the party can elect a deputy leader with half an idea of what the job is supposed to be about.
Tom Watson was contacted for comment.
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