Jeremy Corbyn, ‘stand up for demo­cracy now, or for­ever suffer the con­sequences’

IT seems certain Theresa May’s belittling Brexit deal is doomed. Having kicked the can so recklessly close to the March 29 deadline, there’s no time left for her to magic up fresh concessions from Brussels; nor is there time for Jeremy Corbyn to magic up a so-called “jobs Brexit”.

Now is the time for our MPs to level with us, “to move quickly through the gears”, as Keir Starmer put it, and put the whole sorry saga back in the hands of the public.

Emily Thornberry is concerned that the People’s Vote movement is seeking to “slap around” the Labour Party. On the contrary, the campaign contains many, many people desperate to be able to vote Labour, if only the party’s position on Brexit were to reflect the will of its members.

Polling shows almost three-quarters of Labour Party members want a fresh vote, as do majorities in all Labour-held constituencies across the UK, even those that previously voted Leave.

Labour members and supporters will be among thousands of grassroots campaigners taking to the streets in hundreds of towns and cities around the UK tomorrow (Saturday), just days before Parliament finally votes on the Brexit deal, to demand a democratic final say.

Here in Islington, campaigners will snake from one end of the borough to the other, engaging with constituents about whether the Brexit now on offer lives up to the promises made in 2016, or whether Britain should think again.

Jeremy Corbyn and his colleagues have a choice: stand up for democracy now, or forever suffer the consequences of aiding and abetting a right-wing, regressive step in our nation’s history.

NICK TURTON
Chair, Islington in Europe