Conservatives respond to Starmer interviews

Responding, Brandon Lewis MP, Conservative Party Chairman, said:

“Keir Starmer has confirmed Labour would break their promises and take us back to square one on Brexit.

“In the space of one morning, he has refused to rule out delaying Brexit, refused to confirm Labour would end freedom of movement, and opened the door to staying in the EU with a second referendum. Labour’s promises on Brexit aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. 

“Labour can’t deliver the change the British people voted for, and it’s only the Conservatives who have a plan to take back control of our laws, borders and money.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

In a round of interviews this morning, Keir Starmer set out clearly how Labour would take us all back to square one, including:

• ·         Refusing to rule out delaying Brexit. Studio: ‘So if there were to be a public vote as you say, can you categorically rule out extending Article 50? Could you categorically tell us that the UK would leave the European Union on 29 March 2019?’ Keir Starmer: ‘Well the answer is it depends, because we don't know when we’re going to get a deal’ (Talk Radio, 25 September 2018).

• ·         Failing to rule out continuing free movement under Labour. ‘If you want a close economic relationship with the EU then obviously that will involve a discussion about EU citizens’ (BBC Radio 4 Today, 25 September 2018).

• ·         Confirming Labour are not ruling out an option to stay in the EU in their second referendum. ‘We then say if [a general election] doesn’t happen we must have other options, one of which is a public vote. We’re not ruling out anything in relation to that public vote, we’re not ruling out remain, but at this stage we don’t know the circumstances we are going to be confronted with because we don’t know whether there is a deal that has been reached’ (Sky News, 25 September 2018).

Labour’s Brexit chaos continues:

• ·         Keir Starmer has previously said there was ‘no dispute that Britain will leave the EU in March 2019’. ‘There’s no dispute that Britain will leave the European Union in March 2019. Labour voted to trigger Article 50 and we did so knowing that we would leave the EU within two years’ (Labour Press, 14 November 2017, link).

• ·         Sadiq Khan said Article 50 would need to be suspended and Brexit put on hold to have a second referendum. ‘What needs to happen is, is this, we defer us leaving the European Union’ (The Andrew Marr Show, 16 September 2018).

• ·         Keir Starmer recently refused to rule out keeping free movement of people. Studio: ‘Keeping freedom of movement of people?’ Keir Starmer: ‘That would have to be negotiated with the EU. But frankly if we if were to accepted that proposition eighteen months ago the negotiations would all have been about that how do you make that work in practical terms that would be a real negotiation’ (BBC World at One, 21 September 2018).

• ·         Starmer has previously said Labour would keep ‘easy movement’ with the EU. Keir Starmer: ‘Well that would have to be negotiated but the end of free movement doesn’t mean no movement…’ Andrew Marr: ‘Alright, Easy movement, if not free?’ KS: ‘Yes, of course’ (Andrew Marr Show, 10 December 2017).

• ·         Yesterday, John McDonnell said Labour’s second referendum would not offer an option to remain in the EU. ‘The issue now is that, if we are going to respect the last referendum, it will be about the deal, it will be a negotiation on the deal’ (The Independent, 24 September 2018,link).

• ·         Keir Starmer then slapped McDonnell down and said Labour aren’t ‘ruling out options’. ‘The question of a public vote should be open. We weren’t ruling out options and nobody was ruling out “Remain”’ (Huffington Post, 24 September 2018, link).

• ·         Richard Corbett said it was ‘nonsensical’ to have a second referendum without the option of staying in the EU. Labour’s leader in the European Parliament said: ‘Any referendum has to have the option of remaining, otherwise it’s nonsensical’ (Francis Grove-White Twitter, 24 September 2018, link).

• ·         Barry Gardiner described Labour’s policy of demanding an early election over Brexit as ‘Looney Tunes territory’. As the BBC’s Helen Catt tweeted: ‘Shadow Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner has told a fringe meeting at #labourconference18 that expecting Theresa May to call another election is “Looney Tunes territory” & that he wanted to “inject some realism into the debate” about #Brexit’ (Helen Catt Twitter, 24 September 2018, link).