Starmer: ‘Brexit will not curb our human rights’
“EXTREME BREXITEERS” are controlling Britain’s negotiations with the EU, Sir Keir Starmer has warned
The Shadow Brexit Secretary blamed Theresa May for letting Leave hardliners “run the show” and described her approach to Brussels as “belligerent and hostile”.
The Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras made the comments in conversation with BBC journalist Jo Coburn at an event held by Jewish human-rights charity René Cassin at JW3 in Finchley Road, north-west London, on Tuesday.
But Sir Keir told the audience it was irresponsible for Remainers to promote the idea that Brexit could be reversed.
“Is it politically likely? The answer is no,” he said.
“There has to be a time where national interests trump party interests and that is now.
“It is in our interest to wish the government success in these negotiations and I do. I don’t want the short-term political gain if the government messes this up.”
The former human-rights lawyer said Brexit did not have to mean a “prohibition” on rights or values that are important to the Jewish community, such as those protected by the European Convention on Human Rights, which was established after the Holocaust.
Asked about Labour and antisemitism, he said his party had not “spoken out loudly enough about it”.
Sir Keir said he had welcomed Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to ask Baroness Chakrabarti to investigate antisemitism in Labour’s ranks last year, and said it was important to follow her recommendations.
The former Director of Public Prosecutions said the disciplinary panel that decided not to expel Ken Livingstone for suggesting Hitler supported Zionism “got it wrong. “When any organisation tells people it will adopt zero tolerance on something, those words need to mean something.”