Shadow Cabinet members make clear that MPs can’t trust Boris Johnson
Senior Labour MPs have responded to Boris Johnson’s petulance after losing his attempt last night to rush his Brexit deal through Parliament in just three days. Even though Johnson got his bill through its second reading as the SKWAWKBOX had predicted, he then ‘paused’ it, flounced off and said he wanted a general election instead.
In other words, having failed to keep his promise to take the UK out of the EU by 31 October, he wants to throw away the opportunity to do so just a week or two late – and instead push for a general election that would delay Brexit even further, after a December general election.
And which might delay it until the middle of next year.
If there was any doubt that Johnson has no genuine interest in democracy or giving leave voters what they voted for, he has removed it. Johnson is for Johnson.
Shadow Cabinet ministers have responded publicly to Johnson’s tantrum by stating the obvious: since he cannot be trusted, Labour can only support a general election once a no-deal Brexit has been put out of his reach – any promise he makes in the meantime is worthless.
Labour Party chair Ian Lavery spoke to the BBC in the immediate aftermath of Johnson’s flounce, telling viewers that Labour is prepared to negotiate – but that MPs’ complete lack of trust in Johnson meant it was out of the question to make any concessions on the basis of his promises, so no-deal had to be taken off the table:
Richard Burgon appeared this morning to remind the country of the scale of ‘Tory-created crises’ that the country desperately needs a Labour government to put right, as well as the need to sort out Brexit:
But like Lavery, in an interview on Radio 4’s Today programme he made clear that MPs can’t trust Johnson and an election can only be called once the risk of a no-deal exit is eliminated:
Labour is absolutely right. Johnson’s deal passed last night – he can ‘get Brexit done’ by the middle of November if he wants to do so in a sane fashion – with no need whatsoever to wait until the end of January even if the EU offers an extension until then.
But he has promised his hard-right MPs that they can still have a no-deal Brexit – so his motives cannot be trusted and Labour must not play the game by his rules.
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