Blocking Brexit will see far-right surge: Grayling
LONDON: A cabinet minister has been accused of engaging in “gutter politics” after warning MPS that blocking Brexit could trigger a surge of far-right extremism.
Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, said that reversing the decision to leave the European Union would “open the door” to “extremist” populist political forces and lead to divisions not seen since the English Civil War.
Grayling called on MPS to back Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal in a Commons showdown next week, as the she braces for a historic defeat.
Some estimates suggest she could lose by 200 votes.
His comments drew condemnation from Labour MP David Lammy, who described it as a “desperate attempt to use a tiny far-right minority to hold our democracy to ransom.”
Just days before the critical Brexit vote, Grayling told the Daily Mail: “This is too important for political game-playing and I urge Conservative MPS who back Brexit and others to back the deal.”
“If not, we risk a break with the British tradition of moderate, mainstream politics that goes back to the Restoration in 1660.”
He said there would be a “different tone” in British politics if Britain failed to leave the EU, and predicted a “less tolerant society” and a “more nationalistic nation.” “It will open the door to extremist populist political forces in this country of the kind we see in other countries in Europe,” Grayling said.