"This was a narrow result and one won on a pack of lies and it was only an advisory referendum" -- Richard Corbett MEP
Richard Corbett MEP has just been elected as the leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party (EPLP). With that, he gets a place on Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee.
He is therefore, someone of considerable influence within the party – particularly when it comes to European matters.
The MEP spoke to us about the party’s Brexit policy, and the possibility of a second referendum.
Mr Corbett, like a growing number of people in the Labour Party, is keen to emphasise that Brexit is not final.
Indeed, he is open to the possibility of a second referendum.
“Whilst we’re heading towards a very costly and damaging Tory Brexit, we should keep all of our options open, because we may well have to oppose that Brexit if it’s going to be a complete disaster.
“When the [Brexit] deal comes back to the House of Commons, it’s almost certain that Labour will be voting against that deal.”
But what happens if voters oppose the deal?
“If it’s rejected then you have to have an assessment of what we do now: do we reconsider Brexit?
“If so does that need a second referendum…or a referendum on the deal?
“That’s a bridge you can cross when you come to it.”
Labour, and the country, is in no way bound to last year’s referendum result Mr Corbett seemed to say:
“This was a narrow result and one won on a pack of lies. It was only an advisory referendum.”
Mr Corbett compared the referendum to a general election: “[Some in the Labour party said] no, we don’t give up when we lose a general election. We don’t immediately accept what the Tories want to do in government. We fight on.
“Others said that’s the will of the people, you have to accept it. So there was a range of views, and that’s understandable.”
He continued: “But as time moves on, it’s less about the principle of what we should have done in relation to last year’s referendum, it’s increasingly about how we react to next year’s real Brexit as it emerges and that will be what the Tories manage in the end to negotiate as a Brexit deal.
“And what they are negotiating certainly looks like it will be very damaging to the country.”
Asked whether there were strong rifts on Labour’s NEC over Brexit, Mr Corbett said he had yet to attend a meeting but said: “disagreements would be a strong word. There are nuances and a range of views but we’re not split.”
Mr Corbett’s election to the NEC will be heartening to Labour Remainers, less so to opposing factions in the party who would prefer to keep Labour policy on Brexit off the agenda for as long as possible.
Oscar Webb is a staff writer for Left Foot Forward. He tweets here.
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12 Responses to “EXCLUSIVE: Labour’s new leader in Europe just suggested we can halt Brexit”
Chester Draws
The worst thing about Remainers is their insistence that only they are righteous. Their side only tells the truth, and the other side tells only lies.
Grow up! There are lies told by both sides, and there are honest people on both sides. The people of Britain are told lies every election, which they are well aware of.
This insistence that it was only Brexit lies that won the referendum is profoundly anti-democratic. It says, in essence, that the voters are idiots and don’t know what they are doing.
Every time the Left ignores all the left-leaning voters who voted Leave they are alienating their own allies. How about you listen to the them, rather than insist on calling them ignorant proles who don’t know what’s best for them?
Chris Lovett
Well, a cursory look at the demographics of leave voters would seem to indicate that though perhaps they were not “ignorant proles” it does look as though many were uninformed…
Dave
He is making sense – and saying something that has been the dominant theme on LP leaning FB Pages for months. The LP has to be prepared to go back to the people; to say – this is what is on offer – this is what it will mean …. What do you think? BUT, that will not happen – can not happen as long as May is in no10, and just changing her for Doris will not improve things.
Will
Personally, I feel that when the so-called “deal” is reached, that would be the time to have a second and truly binding vote. The situation we are in at the moment is totally unknown by the public so how can anyone be happy to accept what this government is saying? All we hear is lies and negative threats.
Jay ginn
A question:
If parliament has a vote on the deal and votes against it, what follows?
– no deal with EU and WTO trade rules? OR
– some compromise such as Norway has? OR
– a second referendum, possibly resulting in a Remain majority?
In the case of the last, would EU allow UK to revert to full membership?