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Keir Starmer will whip Labor MPs into supporting Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal when he arrives in parliament next week, he has announced, in a move likely to spark a rebellion from EU supporters.
The Labor leader gave a press conference after the prime minister announced that the negotiations had concluded and said he had made the “difficult decision” to back the deal. “When this deal comes before parliament, Labor will accept it and vote in favor,” he said.
Starmer described Johnson’s deal as “thin”, saying it would not uphold workers’ rights or adequately protect sectors such as manufacturing and the creative industries.
But he insisted that a no-deal exit from the transition period on January 1 next week was now the only other realistic possibility. “A better deal could have been negotiated. But I accept that that option is gone, “he said.
Some Labor MPs had urged Starmer to abstain from voting on the deal, saying he could not hold the government to account for its economic consequences if Labor had supported him.
Others, including some of those who refused to vote to activate the Article 50 process to leave the EU, would like Labor to vote against it.
Several members of the shadow cabinet, including the shadow chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, the shadow chief secretary of the Treasury, Bridget Phillipson, and the shadow secretary for international trade, Emily Thornberry, have been known to have expressed their concern about the idea of supporting the agreement, although they are expected to fulfill the collective responsibility.
Dodds tweeted Thursday that the deal would have a “major negative impact” on GDP, noting that it would not have “exactly the same benefits” as EU membership, a promise Starmer included as one of his “six tests” of Theresa. . May’s deal when she was a shadow Brexit secretary.
But Starmer insisted that “leadership is about making tough decisions in the national interest,” adding: “It’s about being a serious and responsible opposition. At a time of such national importance, it is not credible that the Labor Party is on the sidelines.
Johnson lashed out at Starmer at the prime minister’s questions this month when he abstained in a key vote on coronavirus restrictions.
He said his message to the government was: “If there is no agreement, we accept this agreement, but the consequences are yours. And only yours. We will hold you accountable for it every second you are in power. ”The decision was confirmed at a shadow cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Both Houses of Parliament will be withdrawn on December 30, with the Commons sitting starting at 9:30 a.m. and the Lords starting at noon, to push forward a bill that implements the deal, potentially in a single day.
House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has urged MPs and their staff to avoid travel if possible, given Covid restrictions in place in many parts of the country and the prevalence of the disease in London.
With Labor support, even a significant rebellion by Eurosceptic parliamentarians on the Conservative banks, which seems unlikely, will not prevent the deal from passing.
But Starmer may face a significant rebellion from his own side, with some Labor MPs suggesting that dozens of colleagues might challenge the whips, who will not be able to use the traditional approach of face-to-face persuasion to win them over.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said his party had not yet decided how to vote on the deal, but told BBC News: “Even on initial analysis, it seems like a pretty bad deal for our economy.”
