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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Emily Thornberry attacks 'half-baked' Brexit plan at PMQs | Emily Thornberry attacks 'half-baked' Brexit plan at PMQs |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Emily Thornberry has condemned the Chequers Brexit plan as a “half-baked, backdoor version of the customs union”, using one of her occasional appearances at prime minister’s questions to stress that Labour will oppose Theresa May’s proposals. | Emily Thornberry has condemned the Chequers Brexit plan as a “half-baked, backdoor version of the customs union”, using one of her occasional appearances at prime minister’s questions to stress that Labour will oppose Theresa May’s proposals. |
| With May at the Nato summit in Brussels, her place at PMQs was taken by her de facto deputy, David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister, meaning Jeremy Corbyn also gave way to a stand-in. | With May at the Nato summit in Brussels, her place at PMQs was taken by her de facto deputy, David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister, meaning Jeremy Corbyn also gave way to a stand-in. |
| Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, used all her questions to probe Lidington for details of how the proposed post-Brexit customs plan would work, while also taking the opportunity to mock the government. | Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, used all her questions to probe Lidington for details of how the proposed post-Brexit customs plan would work, while also taking the opportunity to mock the government. |
| PMQs verdict: Thornberry fails to score against Lidington | PMQs verdict: Thornberry fails to score against Lidington |
| Noting England’s World Cup semi-final later on Wednesday, Thornberry began by contrasting the team’s progress with the chaotic fallout from the Chequers meeting, which led to Boris Johnson, David Davis and others resigning. | Noting England’s World Cup semi-final later on Wednesday, Thornberry began by contrasting the team’s progress with the chaotic fallout from the Chequers meeting, which led to Boris Johnson, David Davis and others resigning. |
| “I may know very little about football but even I can see that England’s progress so far at the World Cup shows what can be achieved when all the individual players work effectively as a team, when there’s a clear game plan and when, of course, everyone respects the manager,” she said. | “I may know very little about football but even I can see that England’s progress so far at the World Cup shows what can be achieved when all the individual players work effectively as a team, when there’s a clear game plan and when, of course, everyone respects the manager,” she said. |
| She asked Lidington what lessons he thought Gareth Southgate’s team “could teach this shambles of a government”. | She asked Lidington what lessons he thought Gareth Southgate’s team “could teach this shambles of a government”. |
| In another comment that brought laughter from MPs, Thornberry recalled a 2016 PMQs exchange involving the pair when Lidington compared the shadow cabinet – then riven by resignations – to “Mutiny on the Bounty remade by the Carry On team”. | In another comment that brought laughter from MPs, Thornberry recalled a 2016 PMQs exchange involving the pair when Lidington compared the shadow cabinet – then riven by resignations – to “Mutiny on the Bounty remade by the Carry On team”. |
| Thornberry said: “By those standards, what would he describe his lot now as? Perhaps Reservoir Dogs remade by the Chuckle Brothers.” | Thornberry said: “By those standards, what would he describe his lot now as? Perhaps Reservoir Dogs remade by the Chuckle Brothers.” |
| The rest of the duel was primarily concerned with customs details, with Thornberry querying what new resources and technology would be needed for what May calls a facilitated customs arrangement, under which different tariffs would be set depending on whether goods are destined for the EU or elsewhere. | The rest of the duel was primarily concerned with customs details, with Thornberry querying what new resources and technology would be needed for what May calls a facilitated customs arrangement, under which different tariffs would be set depending on whether goods are destined for the EU or elsewhere. |
| She said: “The minister cannot answer these simple questions of detail because he cannot admit the truth. The truth that the Chequers proposal is total delusion. The UK cannot set its own tariffs on goods and keep frictionless trade with the EU. The technology to do so doesn’t exist.” | She said: “The minister cannot answer these simple questions of detail because he cannot admit the truth. The truth that the Chequers proposal is total delusion. The UK cannot set its own tariffs on goods and keep frictionless trade with the EU. The technology to do so doesn’t exist.” |
| She called the plan was “simply another Chequers delusion – a Brexit dream with no grip on reality”. | She called the plan was “simply another Chequers delusion – a Brexit dream with no grip on reality”. |
| Thornberry added: “We have ended up with them proposing a dog’s Brexit which will satisfy no one, which will not fly in Europe, which will waste the next few weeks.” | Thornberry added: “We have ended up with them proposing a dog’s Brexit which will satisfy no one, which will not fly in Europe, which will waste the next few weeks.” |
| Lidington said the Labour plan to remain in the customs union would prevent new trade deals from being signed. | Lidington said the Labour plan to remain in the customs union would prevent new trade deals from being signed. |
| “The Labour party used to say that they respected the referendum result. But now they are toying once again with the idea of a second referendum,” he said. “Nothing could be better calculated to undermine our negotiating position and lessen our chances of a good deal than holding out that prospect of a second vote.” | “The Labour party used to say that they respected the referendum result. But now they are toying once again with the idea of a second referendum,” he said. “Nothing could be better calculated to undermine our negotiating position and lessen our chances of a good deal than holding out that prospect of a second vote.” |
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