There has been a lot of misinformation put out about what happened today in Parliament- we were presented with an attempt by Boris Johnson to bounce MPs into backing a deal, without the necessary legal assurances,actual legislation and without the detail on the economic impact
It was the political equivalent of buying a house without first examining the deeds. Why wont the Government publish their economic impact assessment? Isnt it right that we should know the consequences of what we are supporting before any final vote?
It has been entirely the Governments choice to proceed in this manner and is the exact opposite of the approach needed.
The vote that was passed today means that we will hopefully now have an opportunity to examine the deal and legislation in detail before it becomes too late.
The vote that was passed today means that we will hopefully now have an opportunity to examine the deal and legislation in detail before it becomes too late.
This will give everyone the chance to vote for their preferred outcome but avoids us crashing out without a deal.
We have to be clear what the consequences are of any particular form of Brexit before we rubber stamp it.
We have to be clear what the consequences are of any particular form of Brexit before we rubber stamp it.
I am acutely aware my constituency and the country as a whole voted to leave and that I have always acted in good faith in trying to find a solution that respects that. However, I will not support a deal that will lead to a repeat of the devastation to manufacturing industry.
Having the detail before we make our final decisions is critical and I hope the next stage allows us to cast our votes with that information fully available. After all, the consequences of our decisions will last for many years.
