6 things you need to know about the latest Brexit developments

by Olaf Stando
Posted on
5 years ago
4 min read

1) Theresa May is a Prime Minister in name only

Theresa May is a Prime Minister in office but not in power – following multiple historic defeats to her Brexit deal, Westminster has now reached new heights of chaos.

This week the Prime Minister even marched through the lobbies with extreme Brexiteers to vote against her own motion, which would have ruled out a no-deal Brexit.

It is extraordinary that since becoming Prime Minister, Theresa May has lost her parliamentary majority, suffered 35 government resignations, lost two votes on her Brexit deal and her Government was held in contempt of Parliament, for the first time in a century, yet she still hasn’t resigned.

2) Theresa May’s intransigence knows no bounds

Theresa May’s Brexit deal has now twice been defeated in Parliament, by historic proportions.

And yet, instead of listening and trying to reach out across party lines, she is still insisting on bringing back her dead deal for a ‘third meaningful vote’ next week.

How can she justify repeatedly bringing back a deal that’s been roundly rejected, while dismissing a second EU referendum and a second independence referendum as ‘undemocratic’?

3) The Tories’ Brexit deal is terrible for Scotland – we must, and will, reject it again

The UK Government’s own Chancellor admitted that the UK would be poorer under any form of Brexit, and the Scottish Government’s economic analysis shows that Theresa May’s deal could leave each person in Scotland £1,600 worse off.

The deal would also slash our hard-won rights, such as the freedom of movement, robbing us of the opportunities to live, work and study across Europe. The Prime Minister’s reckless policy on immigration will lead to dire consequences for our NHS; with statistics showing that in the past year alone, almost 2,500 experienced EU nurses and midwives have left the UK.

And there’s more: the special deal proposed for Northern Ireland puts Scotland at a serious competitive disadvantage, hurting Scottish exporters and potentially curbing investment.

We’re clear: no matter how many times Theresa May brings back her disastrous deal, we will vote against it.

4) Parliament votes to reject no-deal, but Scottish Tories abdicate responsibility again

It is clear from economic analysis that a no-deal would cost up to 100,000 Scottish jobs and plunge the UK’s economy into a recession. It would be the height of irresponsibility for any MP to consciously pursue it.

The House of Commons voted to reject a no-deal Brexit but shamefully, every Scottish Tory MPs – with an exception of one – failed to vote against a no-deal, abandoning the wishes and interests of their constituents.

Once again, they put party interests over Scotland’s interests, and consciously chose to side with extreme Brexiteers. What’s more, David Mundell, who is meant to be stand up for Scotland in government, proved himself utterly incapable of doing so by abstaining, purely to save his own job.

What is the point in having a Scottish Secretary of State who is willing to enable a no-deal Brexit? David Mundell has no credibility left and he must resign.

5) We need a second EU referendum – it’s time for Labour to get off the fence

As Brexit descends deeper into chaos, the best way out of the impasse is a second EU referendum.

Labour will never be forgiven if they end up being the midwives of a Tory Brexit that will wreck jobs, damage our economy, and leave us more isolated in the world.

Two weeks ago, Jeremy Corbyn appeared to officially support a second EU referendum, but now is doing everything he can to backtrack from it. This represents a betrayal of his own party members, a betrayal of Scotland’s interests, and an abdication of responsibility as the official opposition.

Scotland has so much to lose from being dragged out of the EU against its will, and we cannot let it happen.

6) It’s ever clearer that Westminster is incapable of serving Scotland’s interests

The Westminster parties seem to be competing with each other over who can cause more chaos to Scotland’s economy and more damage to Scotland’s interests.

Ruth Davidson passionately argued for Remain in 2016, but her Scottish Tories are subservient to their Westminster bosses, rather than the people of Scotland. They quickly U-turned on their views and went on to facilitate a hard Tory Brexit, along the lines of the ERG.

What’s more, Richard Leonard recently said he would prefer Brexit to a second EU referendum, proving that he’s vastly out of touch with Scottish public opinion.

Only the SNP has consistently stood up for our membership of the European Union.

With independence, we can be in charge of our own future and never have to be misruled by the Tories from London again.