Labour MPs’ cynical betrayal on Brexit

THOUSANDS of people in Cardiff who depend on the European Single Market for their livelihoods voted Labour in the 2017 general election. Voters were told endlessly by Welsh Labour and by non-party organisations like Best for Britain that Labour offered the best chance of preserving Wales’ relationship with our biggest export market.

These voters are being betrayed. Last weekend 40 senior Labour figures signed a letter calling for Labour to have the “courage of its convictions” and fight for our continued membership of the Single Market. Neither Carwyn Jones nor Cardiff Labour MPs Jo Stevens, Kevin Brennan and Anna McMorrin signed the letter.

We know that Stevens in particular is not against strong letters. Witness her resignation letter from the Shadow Cabinet in January, which described leaving the EU as “a terrible mistake” and to endorse leaving as “wrong”. She described it as a “matter of conscience”.

That was before the general election.

Stephen Doughty deserves credit for continuing the pro-European fight in the face of the Brexiteers now running the Labour Party. As for the others, their primary focus has shifted to advancement within Corbyn’s pro-Brexit party, regardless of the consequences for the people of Cardiff.

In failing to stand up for our membership of the Single Market, Cardiff Labour MPs have lost touch with their consciences and their constituents. Despite all the preelection rhetoric about “stopping the Tories” when it comes to the Single Market, Stevens, Brennan and McMorrin have settled into a cosy alignment with Johnson, Davis and Fox that will be devastating for the Welsh economy.

While Welsh Lib Dems continue to campaign for an Exit from Brexit, we can only hope that the voters of Cardiff are given an opportunity to deliver their verdict on their Labour MPs’ cynical betrayal.

Alex Meredith Cardiff Liberal Democrats