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Corbyn says Labour will do "everything necessary" to stop no-deal Brexit

Jeremy Corbyn has pledged his party will do "everything necessary" to stop a no-deal Brexit. The ...
Stephen McNeice
Stephen McNeice

13.52 19 Aug 2019


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Corbyn says Labour will do &qu...

Corbyn says Labour will do "everything necessary" to stop no-deal Brexit

Stephen McNeice
Stephen McNeice

13.52 19 Aug 2019


Share this article


Jeremy Corbyn has pledged his party will do "everything necessary" to stop a no-deal Brexit.

The British Labour leader was speaking in Northamptonshire today, where he sharply criticised the Conservative party for its "failure on Brexit and its lurch to the hard right".

His speech comes a day after the leak of British government documents laying out the potential risk of a crash-out Brexit.

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Official documents leaked to The Sunday Times suggest Downing Street believes current plans for avoiding a hard border will prove “unsustainable".

While ministers have claimed the document proposes a "worst case scenario", it has raised fresh concerns about a no-deal scenario - and prompted renewed calls for the House of Commons to be recalled to deal with the crisis.

Today, Mr Corbyn reiterated his pledge that in a general election his party would campaign for a second Brexit referendum.

He argued: "Labour believes the decision on how to resolve the Brexit crisis must go back to the people."

He reiterated his calls for opposition parties to come together to support a no confidence motion in the current government.

If that vote is passed, the Labour leader is proposing to lead a short-term caretaker government which would call a general election and extend Article 50.

Mr Corbyn stressed: "If there is a general election this autumn, Labour will commit to holding a public vote, to give voters the final say with credible options for both sides including the option to remain."

'Trump deal'

Elsewhere, the opposition leader suggested no-deal would be more like a 'Trump deal'.

He suggested: "Boris Johnson’s government wants to use no deal to create a tax haven for the super-rich on the shores of Europe, and sign a sweetheart trade deal with Donald Trump.

"Have no doubt, no deal would destroy people’s jobs push up food prices in the shops and open our NHS to takeover by US private corporations."

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has again claimed it's up to the EU to compromise when it comes to Brexit.

The prime minister has insisted any deal must see the Irish backstop dropped - a demand which has been firmly rejected by Ireland and the EU.

Mr Johnson is scheduled to meet with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron this week for the first time since becoming prime minister.

In comments quoted by The Guardian today, he claimed: "[It's] very much up to our friends and I hope that they will compromise.

"They have seen that the UK parliament has three times rejected the withdrawal agreement, the backstop just doesn’t work, it’s not democratic and I hope that they will see fit to compromise. But in the meantime we get ready to come out on October 31."

Main image: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Picture by: Joe Giddens/PA Wire/PA Images

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