We must let the country take back control — and decide with People’s Vote

TAKE back control is a powerful rallying cry for people in this country who, after years of austerity, feel more disconnected than ever from those in power who have badly let them down.

The wealthy elite who sold their false vision of Brexit on the back of imaginary dividends and undeliverable promises have further eroded trust in our political process.

It’s quite clear from my constituents and people I talk to across Britain that nobody voted for this chaos. The false prophets of Leave said Brexit would be easy, would provide extra money for the NHS and make us all better off. But nobody voted to be poorer, to lose their job, or for the ever-deepening austerity Brexit will bring.

Labour campaigned to remain. We respect the referendum result. But we will hold the Government to account for their promises. We won’t support a deal at any price especially if it’s bad for jobs and living standards. That’s why we set six tests for the deal — and the Prime Minister promised she would meet them. Instead, she’s failed every test. Her proposal satisfies no one. It fails to provide certainty for business investment and leaves our trading arrangements unresolved.

It will allow employment rights to fall behind our neighbours. It weakens environmental protections. And it threatens to leave us with fewer options for supporting business and jobs than we have as an EU member.

Since the deal fails Labour’s six tests and is not in the national interest, it will be voted down by Labour, and other parties and MPs will join us. It looks unlikely that it can ever pass the Commons. The Prime Minister wants to make people believe that the only alternative to her bad deal is crashing out of the EU with no deal, leading to food and medicine shortages, factory closures and deeper spending cuts.

But that isn’t the real choice. The Government has no majority, so what happens next will be a matter for Parliament. The Labour Party agreed that if the deal failed the six tests and if a general election wasn’t possible, we would keep all options on the table including a public vote with remain as an option. Cabinet is split, Parliament is deadlocked, and a snap election is not possible under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act without Tory support.

Only the people can break the logjam. In these circumstances, we must let the people take back control of Brexit and decide our country’s future through a People’s Vote.