Opposition parties examine Brexit plan
JEREMY Corbyn is set to meet the leaders of other opposition parties to scrutinise the Government’s new Brexit proposals.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out his blueprint for an agreement last week, and the cross-party meeting today will decide the next steps to ‘hold the Government to account.’
Mr Corbyn will meet the SNP’s Ian Blackford, Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, the Greens’ Caroline Lucas, Anna Soubry of the Independent Group for Change and Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts.
Shadow cabinet ministers John McDonnell, Valerie Vaz and Shami Chakrabarti will also be in attendance, along with Lib Dem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake.
Ahead of the meeting, Mr Corbyn said: “Labour is continuing to lead cross-party efforts to prevent a damaging No Deal. Today’s meeting will give us the chance to scrutinise the Government’s proposals together.
“It’s already clear that Johnson’s proposal would slash food safety and standards, exposing us to – among other things – chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-treated beef, currently banned under EU standards. That’s what a Trump Deal Brexit would mean in practice.
“And on environmental protections, Johnson’s proposals would mean the UK ditching the highest standards on things like air pollution or chemical safety.
“So the Tories are proposing weakening our existing environmental standards at exactly the point where urgent action is needed to tackle the climate emergency.
“The cross-party meeting will decide what next steps we can take together to hold the Government to account, and to ensure the Prime Minister adheres to the law in seeking an extension if no deal is reached by 19 October.”
Yesterday, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said the Government has “no plan” for what might happen if Parliament blocks the UK leaving the EU at the end of the month.
He said delivering Brexit on October 31 was the “sole focus” of ministers, who he said would do “absolutely everything in our power” to meet the deadline.
Mr Jenrick said: “We have no plan as to what might happen if Parliament doesn’t allow us to get Brexit done on October 31 because we intend to get it done on that date and that’s the sole focus of this Government at the moment.”
It came as Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay said the Government wanted to get into “intensive negotiations” with Brussels – and confirmed that discussions were taking place with opposition MPs to win support for the PM’s blueprint.
Mr Barclay appeared to confirm that the Government would send a letter to the EU requesting a Brexit delay if a deal has not been agreed by October 19 – after lawyers told Scotland’s highest civil court that Mr Johnson accepted the commitment.
He said: “If a commitment is given to the court, you abide by it.”