Corbyn 'will do everything necessary' to stop no-deal Brexit

By Andrew MacAskill

 

Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in London, Britain August 27, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would do everything necessary to prevent Britain leaving the European Union without a divorce deal as he prepared to meet senior lawmakers on Tuesday to discuss tactics.

 

The United Kingdom is heading towards a constitutional crisis at home and a showdown with the EU as Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to leave the bloc in 66 days without a deal unless it agrees to renegotiate the Brexit divorce.

 

Corbyn said an EU exit without an agreement would leave Britain at the mercy of President Donald Trump and U.S. corporations.

 

“The battle to stop no-deal Brexit isn’t a struggle between those who want to leave the EU and those who want continued membership,” Corbyn wrote in the Independent newspaper.

 

“It’s a battle of the many against the few who are hijacking the referendum result to shift even more power and wealth towards those at the top. That’s why the Labour Party will do everything necessary to stop a no-deal bankers’ Brexit.”

 

Britain is on course for a no-deal exit on Oct. 31 unless parliament can stop it or a new agreement is reached with the EU.

 

The British parliament has rejected three times the withdrawal deal agreed between Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May and the EU, deepening a three-year crisis that threatens Britain’s status as one of the world’s pre-eminent financial centres and a stable destination for foreign investors.

 

Johnson held talks last week with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Donald Tusk about his demand that the Brexit deal on offer is changed to remove the so-called backstop, an insurance policy to prevent the return of a hard border in Ireland.

 

He said on Monday he was prepared to take Brexit talks with the EU down to the last minute. A UK official said Johnson’s Brexit adviser David Frost would travel to Brussels on Wednesday for informal discussions.

 

One EU diplomat said Johnson had not made any big mistakes at the G7 summit in France at the weekend, his first outing on the international stage since taking office last month.

 

“The devil is in the detail. If we could get something similar and if this thing would not be called a backstop - we could have success. All this may mean that, in the end, Johnson will have proven himself to be a refined strategist rather than suicidal,” the diplomat said.

 

DIVISION OVER TACTICS

 

Lawmakers return from their summer break on Sept. 3, reconvening for a fight that will determine the fortunes of the world’s fifth-largest economy.

 

Votes in parliament have shown there is majority support for measures to block or hinder a no-deal exit.

 

But any majority would be unstable, made up of lawmakers from different parties that are ideologically opposed, except when it comes to stopping a disorderly Brexit.

 

Keir Starmer, the Labour Party’s Brexit spokesman, said the purpose of Tuesday’s meeting with other opposition parties was to agree a plan for when parliament returns.

 

He said options included passing a law to force the government to seek a delay to Britain’s EU departure or trying to force the government’s collapse in a no-confidence vote.

 

The anti-Brexit Liberal Democrat party, the Scottish National Party, the Welsh nationalist Plaid Cymru and a group of independent lawmakers are due to attend the discussion.

 

But there are continuing splits about tactics.

 

Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson has said Corbyn should drop the idea of trying to become a caretaker prime minister if parliament forces the government’s collapse.

 

“I think we are less likely to win that vote of no confidence if there is the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn becoming prime minister,” she told Sky News.

 

Parliament usually sits for only two weeks at the start of September before breaking while the parties hold their annual conferences.

 

Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly said the meeting of opposition parties “isn’t about stopping a no-deal Brexit. It’s about stopping Brexit.

 

“People can see that, and it adds to the cynical view that millions of voters have towards politics and politicians.”

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-08-27

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

Brexit is gonna drag on for another 3 years if this idiot has anything to do with it. 25 baht to the pound may be coming sooner than people think.

Edited August 27, 20196 yr by SteveK

Comrade Corbyn if you don't mind

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in London

Time for you to retire

 

UK is leaving, years too late already

I was reading the headline, and that bold "will do everything necessary" made me think of Guy Fawkes. Remember, remember and all that. To my surprise, turns out the "everything necessary" meant... well, not really sure what it amount to, really. Sounds like nothing much.

55 minutes ago, SteveK said:

Brexit is gonna drag on for another 3 years if this idiot has anything to do with it. 25 baht to the pound may be coming sooner than people think.

Anything is better than a suicidal crashing out with no deal. That could well send the pound into free fall.

Edited August 27, 20196 yr by bannork

 

I think he means “It’s a battle of the few against the many". 

 

Silly old sausage.

 

 

3 hours ago, nauseus said:

 

I think he means “It’s a battle of the few against the many". 

 

Silly old sausage.

 

 

Yes, the few who believe that a no deal Brexit will be good for the UK against the many who know it will be economic suicide!

 

I'm no fan of Corbyn, but I do support him in his efforts to stop that disaster. Though he'll have more support if he were to forget plans for him to be caretaker PM.

 

At least Corbyn is seeking a democratic way ahead, unlike Johnson and his threats to suspend Parliament.

 

I thought you Brexiteers were big fans of democracy?

5 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would do everything necessary to prevent Britain leaving the European Union without a divorce deal

Good man. 

29 minutes ago, 7by7 said:

Though he'll have more support if he were to forget plans for him to be caretaker PM.

 

But that is Corbyn's only intention.

 

He will reject any proposal, as he has done so far, because he dreams one day he will make it to pm.

 

 

By the way, have they already run out of weed killers in the UK?

Edited August 27, 20196 yr by ThePioneer

57 minutes ago, 7by7 said:

Yes, the few who believe that a no deal Brexit will be good for the UK against the many who know it will be economic suicide!

 

I'm no fan of Corbyn, but I do support him in his efforts to stop that disaster. Though he'll have more support if he were to forget plans for him to be caretaker PM.

 

At least Corbyn is seeking a democratic way ahead, unlike Johnson and his threats to suspend Parliament.

 

I thought you Brexiteers were big fans of democracy?

We won a democratic vote, so we are.

Fair play to him for listening to the opposition majority and initially attempting the legal route. 

I'd like to ask him the question of "If it meant taking control of parliament and labour gaining a PM, would you be prepared to give up your position as labour leader for someone more electable?" But I feel there's more likelihood of him presenting the Eurovision song contest in Israel than agreeing to that 

British opposition parties unite to try to force PM to seek Brexit delay

By Andrew MacAskill and Gabriela Baczynska

 

Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in London, Britain August 19, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

 

LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Opposition parties said they would try to pass a law which would force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to seek a delay to Britain's departure from the European Union and prevent a potentially chaotic no-deal exit at the end of October.

 

The United Kingdom is heading towards a constitutional crisis at home and a showdown with the EU as Johnson has pledged to leave the bloc in 66 days without a deal unless Brussels agrees to renegotiate the Brexit divorce.

 

The sticking point is the backstop, an insurance policy to prevent the return of a hard border on the island of Ireland.

 

Johnson told European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Tuesday there was no prospect of a deal unless the backstop was abolished.

 

Parliament returns from its summer break next week and is preparing for a battle with Johnson, who has promised to take Britain out of the European Union at the end of October with or without an exit agreement.

 

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn hosted talks with opposition parties on Tuesday where they agreed that passing a law to force the government to seek a delay to Britain's EU departure would probably have the most support.

 

"We are going to come together and do the right thing by our country," said Anna Soubry, leader of The Independent Group for Change party. "We are up against a prime minister who has no mandate for this and I think he has no regard for parliament."

 

The opposition parties are seeking to repeat what they did earlier this year when lawmakers seized control of the parliamentary agenda to pass a law forcing Johnson's predecessor Theresa May to seek an extension to Britain's EU membership.

 

They also managed to change legislation to require parliament to be sitting for several days in September and October, making it harder for Johnson to shut down parliament to pursue a no-deal, something he has not ruled out doing.

 

The pound hit its strongest since July 29 against the dollar and euro after the parties presented a united front on Tuesday.

 

CALL WITH JUNCKER

Britain is on course for a no-deal exit on Oct. 31 unless parliament can stop it or a new deal is reached with the EU.

 

The British parliament has rejected three times the withdrawal deal agreed between the last government and the EU, deepening a three-year crisis that threatens Britain's status as one of the world's pre-eminent financial centres and a stable destination for foreign investors.

 

Johnson wants the backstop removed from the deal.

 

He discussed his demands with Juncker in a "positive and substantive" 20-minute phone call on Tuesday following talks last week with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Donald Tusk.

 

Juncker said he was willing to look at any concrete proposals on alternatives to the backstop, as long as they were compatible with the Withdrawal Agreement, according to a readout of the call from the European Commission.

 

Britain said it was working "at pace to find a wide range of flexible and creative solutions" for the border with Ireland after Brexit, but it said the border discussion should be separate to the withdrawal deal.

 

"We are ready to negotiate in good faith an alternative to the backstop with provisions to ensure the Irish border issues are dealt with where they should always have been: in the negotiations on the future agreement between the UK and EU," a government spokeswoman said.

 

Johnson's Brexit adviser David Frost is due in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the backstop with the Commission.

 

EU officials say they are listening to Johnson's arguments to replace one of the most hotly contested elements of the divorce agreement, something the bloc has previously said it will not agree to. A British official said it was felt there had been a softening in the EU's rhetoric around the backstop.

 

"It's good that there is a vibrant discussion, ideas are put forward but it's up to the UK government to come up with concrete proposals that would be compatible with the Withdrawal Agreement," European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said.

 

Juncker underlined to Johnson that the EU's support for Ireland was steadfast and it was very attentive to the country's interests.

 

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Britain's proposals did not yet come close to what was needed.

 

"I think we need to be honest here, that the alternative arrangements that have been discussed to date do not do the same job as the backstop, not even close," Coveney said in Prague following a meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek.

 

"So let's not pretend that solutions exist when they might not."

 

(Additional reporting by Paul Sandle, Editing by Janet Lawrence and Angus MacSwan)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-08-28

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

so what do we have 

 

SNP LibDems Green (and a handful of others) who will stop at nothing to stop brexit

 

LAB who have a totally different goal on any given day - but is ultimately to get into No 10 by any means - the whole thing is hilarious, what a fc circus  

 

It is funny how they all label this as a move to stop "No Deal" when they all could have voted for a deal, they are all now ignoring the fact that the majority of people voted to leave the EU...…..that got lost somewhere

 

Some claim the people didn't vote for "No (Trade) Deal" - well we voted to leave, the EU has refused to talk about a "Trade Deal" until we have left - yes that is what deal means - A TRADE DEAL, it has nothing to do with this nonsense Surrender Treaty that was voted down in the HOC 3x times, we haven't even got to the Trade Deal talks

 

The EU will collapse without the UK - who gives a fc

 

It was fine as free trading cooperation between 6 countries and anyone else that wanted to join - that is not what it is now, power grabbing and greed has taken over - hardly a surprise when it involves humans - how many wars ?

Keep going Corbyn etc, stop this lunatic no deal nonsense. None of the 39% of the UK electorate who voted for Brexit chose no deal, on the contrary, they were told it would be easy.

2 hours ago, smedly said:

so what do we have 

 

SNP LibDems Green (and a handful of others) who will stop at nothing to stop brexit

 

LAB who have a totally different goal on any given day - but is ultimately to get into No 10 by any means - the whole thing is hilarious, what a fc circus  

 

It is funny how they all label this as a move to stop "No Deal" when they all could have voted for a deal, they are all now ignoring the fact that the majority of people voted to leave the EU...…..that got lost somewhere

 

Some claim the people didn't vote for "No (Trade) Deal" - well we voted to leave, the EU has refused to talk about a "Trade Deal" until we have left - yes that is what deal means - A TRADE DEAL, it has nothing to do with this nonsense Surrender Treaty that was voted down in the HOC 3x times, we haven't even got to the Trade Deal talks

 

The EU will collapse without the UK - who gives a fc

 

It was fine as free trading cooperation between 6 countries and anyone else that wanted to join - that is not what it is now, power grabbing and greed has taken over - hardly a surprise when it involves humans - how many wars ?

There is no good brexit. A majority of people did NOT vote to leave. Less than half the electorate ADVISED leave; it is up to Parliament to decided whether it is in the national interest to take the advice. The leave vote was obtained with lies and fraud such that the result would have been declared null and void had it been decisive -which it wasn't. And polls suggest that most people would now prefer to remain. Johnson - a known liar and incompetent in public office - is behaving like a tinpot dictator. This is not democracy.

2 minutes ago, flossie35 said:

There is no good brexit. A majority of people did NOT vote to leave. Less than half the electorate ADVISED leave; it is up to Parliament to decided whether it is in the national interest to take the advice. The leave vote was obtained with lies and fraud such that the result would have been declared null and void had it been decisive -which it wasn't. And polls suggest that most people would now prefer to remain. Johnson - a known liar and incompetent in public office - is behaving like a tinpot dictator. This is not democracy.

Bojo is trying to carry out the democratic wishes of the majority of the people who could be bothered to get off their sofas to vote. That IS democracy. 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Opposition parties said they would try to pass a law which would force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to seek a delay to Britain's departure from the European Union and prevent a potentially chaotic no-deal exit at the end of October.

Oh NO , please not again ...!

 

Has anyone ever seen so many misfits in one place at any one time, as Cleverly states it not about stopping no deal, it's about stopping Brexit, why can't they at least be honest about it.

Again Boris has been undermind when trying to get a deal from the EU by these anti democratic MPs, and yes as one other poster has pointed out, they had a chance to vote on a deal, they chose not to, the responsibility lies with them and them alone.

33 minutes ago, flossie35 said:

There is no good brexit. A majority of people did NOT vote to leave. Less than half the electorate ADVISED leave; it is up to Parliament to decided whether it is in the national interest to take the advice. The leave vote was obtained with lies and fraud such that the result would have been declared null and void had it been decisive -which it wasn't. And polls suggest that most people would now prefer to remain. Johnson - a known liar and incompetent in public office - is behaving like a tinpot dictator. This is not democracy.

May be a second vote would be the best ... but before oct.31 .

5 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

May be a second vote would be the best ... but before oct.31 .

What would you like the vote to be.

1. Stay in the EU

2. Don't leave the EU

 

7 minutes ago, vogie said:

 

Has anyone ever seen so many misfits in one place at any one time, as Cleverly states it not about stopping no deal, it's about stopping Brexit, why can't they at least be honest about it.

Again Boris has been undermind when trying to get a deal from the EU by these anti democratic MPs, and yes as one other poster has pointed out, they had a chance to vote on a deal, they chose not to, the responsibility lies with them and them alone.

Once again, you post a ripped meme but fail to provide a link to the source.

 

Link please?

5 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Once again, you post a ripped meme but fail to provide a link to the source.

 

Link please?

What do you mean, "once again" are you inferring this is something I do regularly, if so have you proof of this. 

It is merely an innocuous image from twitter, why do you need a link, what good will it be, how will it help you in your investigations. 

4 minutes ago, vogie said:

What do you mean, "once again" are you inferring this is something I do regularly, if so have you proof of this. 

It is merely an innocuous image from twitter, why do you need a link, what good will it be, how will it help you in your investigations. 

As you admit, it is an image you obtained from elsewhere, AKA content not created by you, somebody else’s Intellectual Property.

 

Link please?

 

 

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

As you admit, it is an image you obtained from elsewhere, AKA content not created by you, somebody else’s Intellectual Property.

 

Link please?

 

 

Did you honestly think I was in the audience and took the photo myself, lets get real here, sick of your bickering, on ignore.

4 minutes ago, vogie said:

Did you honestly think I was in the audience and took the photo myself, lets get real here, sick of your bickering, on ignore.

I guess the source of the meme you ripped and posted is something of an embarrassment.

 

 

35 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

May be a second vote would be the best ... but before oct.31 .

No point, waste of time, kicking the can again.

 

Why? Remainers already stated they would continue to vote against Brexit even if they lost again.

 

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/07/23/lib-dem-leader-jo-swinson-says-would-vote-against-brexit-even/

 

There is a new danger for the EU now. Italy could be the next to leave, and that is a disastrous thought for the eurocrats, worse even that the English leaving. 

 

I'll get up early on 1st November and make a toast to the UK for finally leaving the sinking monstrosity of a ship. Then watch the English pound go from strength to strength.

 

Great days ahead for the English.

22 minutes ago, vogie said:

Did you honestly think I was in the audience and took the photo myself, lets get real here, sick of your bickering, on ignore.

Best to ignore certain people .There a lot of posters on here desperate to report to the mods any indiscretion. They must get some kind of buzz from it. 

Extremely sad if you ask me