UK PM ‘held hostage’ by extremists over Brexit
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has slammed British Prime Minister Theresa May for being “held hostage” by extremists within the ruling Tory party, who wants her to take Britain out of the European Union (EU) without a plan.
Speaking at the House of Commons on Monday, Corbyn said “20 wasted months” had passed since the UK voted in favor of Brexit in a 2016 referendum but May was yet to offer any clear plan for the divorce.
“We’ve had 20 months of promises, soundbites and confusion,” he said. “However people feel about Brexit, it’s clear to them this government is nowhere near delivering a good deal for Britain.”
Corbyn also criticized May for her failure to address the public’s Brexit concerns about Brexit and the slow progress in the ongoing negotiations with the EU.
“We’ve seen set piece speech after set piece speech and yet the prime minister still cannot bring clarity to these negotiations and still cannot bring certainty to British businesses or workers,” the opposition leader said, referring to May’s latest Brexit speech before lawmakers on Friday.
May admitted in her speech that there were “hard facts” Britain should be ready to face about the economic consequences of Brexit.
She confirmed the UK was bound to lose access to the EU’s single market and customs union after Brexit in March 2019, noting the country may suffer new trade barriers as a result.
Struggling to overcome differences among her cabinet members over Brexit, May is also facing a rebellion by a group of pro-Europeans MPs inside her own party.
“The prime minister’s speech on Friday promised to unite the nation, but it barely papered over the cracks in her own party,” Corbyn said.
The Labour leader said May had offered “no real solution” for key issues that remain unsolved between the UK and the EU, particularly the Northern Ireland borer.
“Doesn’t the prime minister understand, this isn’t just about cross-border paperwork and trade - there is also an issue of maintaining the social peace that has endured for 20 years,” he said.
Besides the border, London and the EU have yet to reach agreements on the issues of EU citizens living in Britain as well as a so-called Brexit bill that the UK needs to pay the EU for the divorce.
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