Comment Smith’s Brexit views are clear. Not so his leader!
AVISION of what could have been appeared in the House of Commons as MPs debated leaving the European Union.
Labour MP Owen Smith stood up and said Brexit was a terrible mistake, and we should change our minds.
He told MPs: “I am insisting that we consider a second referendum – a confirmatory or ratificatory referendum, or whatever we want to call it – because I sincerely believe that Brexit will be a disaster for our country, and one that will cost us and future generations in lost trade, revenues and opportunities.”
Some people might call him a ‘remoaner’, a sore loser who should accept the results of the referendum.
Others will be delighted that someone is speaking sense.
But sadly for Mr Smith, and perhaps for Labour as a whole, most people won’t care.
Who is Owen Smith, after all? A backbench MP representing a Welsh town known for its picturesque bridge, that’s who. His words don’t count for much.
It could have been different. Last year, Mr Smith stood against Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership, and was roundly defeated.
But if he’d won, we’d at least have a Labour leader today with something to say. Of course, you may disagree with Mr Smith’s views on Brexit. But it’s clear what they are.
By contrast, it’s anyone’s guess what Jeremy Corbyn and his Shadow Cabinet think.
Labour’s position appears to be that they oppose “Tory Brexit”, the swashbuckling, free-market version of Brexit they think Theresa May supports. And yet, they voted for it. In both the second reading and the third reading of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, which gives Mrs May the power to trigger Article 50 and begin the process of Brexit, the Labour leadership imposed a three-line whip on its MPs, ordering them to vote for the legislation.
In the case of shadow ministers, it meant they had to vote for the legislation or lose their job.
Or did it? It emerged that rebels might be allowed to keep their jobs after all, or, if they are sacked, could be welcomed back within months. So that’s clear as muck.
Labour did propose amendments to the legislation. But note that it’s perfectly possible to vote against a Bill and also to attempt to amend it.
Also, the third reading vote took place after those amendments had been defeated – and Labour’s policy was to vote for the Bill anyway.
What did those amendments say? They included a demand that Parliament should have a chance to vote on any proposed new deal with the EU before it can be signed.
This sounds reasonable, but it raises the question of what happens if Parliament rejects the deal.
It seems unlikely that the EU would turn around and offer us a better one, after all. EU leaders are not going to feel obliged to help Mrs May win the approval of the UK Parliament.
Mr Smith – and others, such as Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron – have an answer. They backed amendments calling for a second referendum, once the Government has completed its negotiations.
The public would be asked to vote on whether to accept the deal, or whether the UK should stay in the EU after all.
The official Labour position, however, is that Brexit must happen, There’s no question of a second referendum, as far as Mr Corbyn is concerned. It places him in a bizarre position. Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May says that Brexit will be a success and she’s going to make it happen.
The Lib Dems, some Labour rebels and Tory MP Ken Clarke say Brexit will be a disaster and they’re against it.
Labour’s view appears to be that Brexit will be a disaster – but they’re voting for it anyway.
Perhaps Mr Corbyn and his team would object to this, and point out
Labour’s view appears to be that Brexit will be a disaster – but they’re voting for it anyway.
that the disaster is Mrs May’s “Tory Brexit”, not their alternative version which protects workers’ rights and so on.
But in practice, it’s Mrs May’s version of Brexit that they are actually voting for.
There’s no easy answer for Labour. Most people at the top of the party feel they need to respect the result of the referendum or risk a massdefection of working-class, Brexitsupporting voters.
But good leaders can make difficult situations look easy, or, at least, manageable. Labour seems to have no plan at all for dealing with Brexit. There’s no message and no clear policy.
It’s no surprise that Mr Corbyn finds it hard to get senior members of his own team, such as shadow business secretary Clive Lewis, to follow him. They have no idea where he is leading them.