Labour MPs have brutally labelled Brexit a “disaster” as they debated a viral petition to make the UK rejoin the EU in Parliament.
Earlier this week, MPs discussed the petition on behalf of its creator Robert McMaster, who argued “Brexit hasn’t brought any tangible benefits” to Britain. However, the government has disregarded it, insisting it was “elected on a manifesto that made clear there will be no return to EU membership” but was “determined to reset the UK-EU relationship”.
Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate, Stella Creasy MP said: “Brexit is a disaster. It is a disaster by anybody’s metric, not least those according to whom it was purported to be a route to the promised land. The pandemic spared some of the blushes of those who still try to claim that we have got some elusive sovereignty as a result of leaving the European Union, but we can see the damage. Our constituents can see the damage.
“Many members have already cited some of the relevant figures; let me cite some more. As a result of Brexit, 1.8 million fewer jobs have been created in our economy, and that number is likely to rise to 3 million by 2035. Some 16,500 small businesses have stopped exporting to Europe all together.”
Labour’s Neil Coyle joined others in mocking Nigel Farage, asking a fellow MP: “Is he surprised that there are no Reform Members present in the Chamber, and does he believe that that is because they spend more time sucking up to Trump and Putin than representing their constituents, in particular those in Clacton?”
Labour MP Fred Thomas acknowledged that “we can all agree that Brexit has been an almost unmitigated disaster” but insisted his party should stand by its manifesto promise not to rejoin the single market.
Tim Roca, the Labour MP for Macclesfield, said he “wholeheartedly” believes Britain should rejoin the EU.
He continued: “That is our future, and debates like this are part of that process. People need be under no illusion that this issue is going away; as the petitioners and those supporting them prove, this debate is ongoing in the country.
“There is also strong support, as the polling evidence shows, that the public believe that we made a mistake.”
Roca also urged Keir Starmer to negotiate a youth mobility scheme with European allies.
“Let us look at the youth mobility scheme, let us join the pan-Euro-Mediterranean convention and ease barriers to trade, and let us lay the groundwork for a proper debate on where the future of this country should be.”
Lib Dem MP Caroline Voaden told the government to take “concrete steps” towards rejoining the EU.
She commented: “I do not agree that we should not revisit our intentions, given the clear evidence that we now have of the disaster that Brexit has been…
“Sadly, it is probably too early to campaign to rejoin the EU right now- it is not even an option on the table—but we must take concrete steps towards it, rather than just repeating meaningless warm words, and start rebuilding the shattered relationship.”
Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Sarah Olney added: “The Liberal Democrats are proud to be the country’s most pro-European party, and we have been vocal in our support for the government’s warm words on a reset and a rebuilding of our relationship with Europe after the disaster of the botched Brexit deal under the last Conservative government.”
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