After years of pushing to cancel the result of the 2016 referendum, it turns out there is a line some Remainers don’t want to be seen to cross – and the Lib Dems have crossed that line.
Yesterday, Anna Soubry’s sent an email attacking the Lib Dems’ new extremist position, and over the course of today a number of fellow second referendum-supporting MPs have also come out to attack Swinson, including the ‘Independent Group for Change’s Chris Leslie and Greens’ Caroline Lucas who launched a blistering attack of the Lib Dems’ new policy, saying:
Brexit referendum didn’t deliver the outcome many of us hoped for
But you can’t pretend the result didn’t happen. LibDems are doing just that
You can’t turn back the clock.
Nor ignore the 17m who voted LeaveThis doesn’t strengthen our democracy. It further imperils it https://t.co/5C5XfMnjqm
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) September 16, 2019
The revolution eats its own…
UPDATE: Anna Soubry’s attack is particularly audacious, given that she herself called for revoking Article 50 during the EU elections.
The second referendum campaign for Tory MPs, Right to Vote, set up by Phillip Lee, no longer contains a single Tory MP among their ranks, following multiple defections, resignations and withdrawals of the whip by the Government. Coincidentally the website and campaign have since folded…
At its height, the group contained 10 Tory MPs in its fold, however, following a record number of MPs changing party, the supposedly Conservative campaign is now led by a Lib Dem and counts four independents, one ‘The Independents’ MP and one ‘The Independent Group for Change’ MP among others. Keeping up?
The only sign the group was ever Tory-affiliated is the two remaining Tory Lords, who will be grateful that Boris said he wouldn’t withdraw the whip from any Lords supporting the Surrender Bill. A good demonstration of the change seen in British politics over the last year.
Caroline Lucas today joins Jo Swinson in saying she would not accept the result of a Second Referendum. The Green MP confirmed that she would vote down any Brexit deal in Parliament.
“If there were to be a referendum and Leave were to win it again, either more decisively or not, in the Commons would you then back a Brexit deal to leave?”
“Um, no I probably wouldn’t.”
She then went on to claim that “a majority probably would.” Guido doesn’t believe her.
Speaking to BBC News this afternoon, newly elected Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson (or should that be Joanna Swanson?) revealed she would only accept the result of a second referendum if Remain won. If Leave won she would continue to work to block the result in Parliament.
“Would you vote for [the result if Leave won] in Parliament?”
“No.”
Totally takes apart the People’s Vote campaign’s pledge that a hypothetical Second Referendum would be the ‘final say’…
Twenty-six Labour MPs have written to Jeremy Corbyn to urge him to not commit to a second referendum – a position he is expected to inch even closer to this week. The MPs insist that Labour must “back a deal before 31 October” – despite twenty of these MPs voting against the Withdrawal Agreement when they had the chance. The number of signatures on the letter is a reminder that there are more Labour anti-referendum votes than Tory pro-referendum votes….
- Sir Kevin Barron
- Sarah Champion
- Julie Cooper
- Rosie Cooper
- Jon Cruddas
- Gloria De Piero
- Jim Fitzpatrick
- Caroline Flint
- Yvonne Fovargue
- Grahame Morris
- Mary Glindon
- Lisa Nandy
- Mike Hill
- Melanie Onn
- Dan Jarvis
- Stephanie Peacock
- Stephen Kinnock
- Jo Platt
- Emma Lewell Buck
- Dennis Skinner
- Justin Madders
- Laura Smith
- John Mann
- Gareth Snell
- Jim McMahon
- Ruth Smeeth
Guido’s almost surprised not to see Ian Lavery’s name accidentally making its way onto the list after his Twitter “hack” earlier. Read the letter in full here:
This will go down like a cup of cold sick with Tories already incensed by Theresa May’s approach to Jeremy Corbyn. Both Steve Barclay and May herself refused to rule out second referendums yesterday, a Government source confirmed to Guido then that nothing was off the table besides a full-on revocation of Article 50. Brexiteers fear an even greater betrayal coming…
