‘Brexit will drag on far longer even if we do secure deal’
LEEDS CENTRAL MP Hilary Benn has warned Brexit will drag on for a “very, very long time” regardless of whether the Prime Minister is able to secure a deal in the coming days or not.
Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday afternoon, Labour MP Mr Benn – who has been an outspoken critic of Brexit and proposed legislation to stop the country crashing out of the EU without a deal – hit out at the Government’s Get Brexit Done campaign and talks with the EU.
He said: “If anybody thinks that Brexit has taken too long to get to this point, it’s worth remembering that even if the Prime Minister does get a deal and it gets approved by the House, it’s going to take a very, very long time as we try and negotiate a new relationship with our biggest, nearest and most important trading partners, when one thinks of the list of things to be discussed.”
He said: “It is a very long list and that’s why I say to the frontbench opposite, the phrase Get Brexit Done is incredibly misleading, because we haven’t even begun to get Brexit done as the years ahead will prove.”
Mr Benn added: “We have to face up to the possibility that all we’ll get out of the summit this week is the EU leaders noting some progress has been made and looking forward to further talks.” And he said the country was “heading for a further extension anyway”.
Downing Street has said Brexit negotiations remain ongoing after reports suggested Mr Johnson is closing in on a new deal after giving significant ground to the EU over the Irish border.
Mr Benn said Mr Johnson’s new concessions put his deal on par with his predecessors Theresa May, whose customs partnership plan caused Mr Johnson to resign as Foreign Secretary.
The chairman of the Commons Brexit Committee added that he believed there are a “growing number” of MPs who would now back a confirmatory referendum on Brexit.