Billions ‘being wasted’ on no-deal planning

JEREMY CORBYN has accused Ministers of wasting £171,000 an hour of taxpayers’ money in “unnecessary” preparations for a nodeal Brexit.

The Labour leader reaffirmed his refusal to meet Theresa May to discuss a way forward unless she is prepared to rule out a nodeal break.

Labour said that over the last two Budgets, Chancellor Philip Hammond had assigned £4.2bn to no-deal preparations – money which could have been used to support public services.

Of that, the party said £1.5bn was being spent in the current financial year – the equivalent of £171,000 an hour.

“We’re ready to talk to the Government and others in Parliament about a sensible alternative plan, but not while Theresa May is wasting £171,000 an hour of taxpayers’ money on dangerous and unnecessary nodeal brinkmanship,” Mr Corbyn said.

“May’s no-deal threat is empty and hugely expensive, wasting billions of pounds we should be spending on vital public services.

“If the Prime Minister is serious about finding a solution that can command support in Parliament and bring our country together, she must listen to the majority of MPs, as well as members of her own Cabinet, and take no deal off the table.”

Meanwhile, Labour backbencher David Lammy has warned Mr Corbyn that he risks a historic split comparable to the SDP breakaway in the 1980s unless he backs a second referendum.

“There is a small group in our party who are so frustrated, who have so much grievance, the fear is that they are going to go off and form another party,” he told Sky News’s Ridge on Sunday.