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Justine Greening endorses second Brexit referendum Justine Greening endorses second Brexit referendum
(35 minutes later)
Justine Greening became the most high profile Conservative to endorse the idea of a second referendum, to end what she said would be a likely parliamentary deadlock over Brexit, warning that Theresa May’s Chequers plan did not represent “a workable compromise” that a majority of MPs could get behind. Justine Greening has said she believes other senior Tory MPs also support the idea of a second referendum to end a likely parliamentary deadlock on Brexit, after she became the most high-profile Conservative to endorse such a move.
The former education secretary and remain supporter said that May’s plan was “a fudge I can’t support” and, in a blow to the prime minister, said it amounted to “the worst of both worlds” – complying with EU rules without the influence of being a member of the multi-country bloc. The former education secretary and remain supporter said Theresa May’s Chequers plan “in practice suits no one” and would be rejected by both remainers and leavers. A new referendum would provide “a route forwards”, she said.
Writing in the Times, the MP for Putney said that “only solution is to take the final Brexit decision out of the hands of deadlocked politicians”. Writing in the Times, the MP for Putney said the “only solution is to take the final Brexit decision out of the hands of deadlocked politicians” by letting voters choose from three options: May’s final deal, a no-deal Brexit or staying in the EU.
She added that voters should be given three options on the ballot paper, and a first and second preference vote to ensure that the preferred model achieved more then 50% of the final vote. Greening proposed a system using first- and second-preference votes to ensure the preferred model achieved more then 50% of the final vote.
The choice should be between “the PM’s final negotiated Brexit deal, staying in the EU, or a clean Brexit break and leaving with no deal”, Greening wrote in a break from her party’s position that is likely to be picked up by the campaign groups seeking to overturn Brexit with a second referendum. Speaking later on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Greening said she expected other senior Tories would support the idea.
Unhappiness from the Tory right over May’s proposed Brexit deal, and their threats to vote it down when a promised meaningful final vote is put to parliament around the turn of the year, have prompted growing speculation that the prime minister may struggle to ensure whatever she negotiates will be approved by parliament, placing Britain’s future relationship with Europe in limbo. “I think what I’m saying is what everyone is seeing in parliament,” she said. Asked whether that meant other leading Conservatives would support her specific plan, she said: “Yes, I believe so.”
Other high profile figures have started to use the belief that there is political deadlock to advance arguments for a second referendum. Greening said she thought May’s Chequers proposal was now dead. It was a “genuine, clever attempt at a compromise” but had proved to be unworkable, she said.
On Sunday, Tony Blair said in a post on the website for his Institute for Global Change that there should be another national vote, because there will no Commons majority for May’s Brexit, a no deal Brexit, or for remaining in the European Union. “Yes, because I think in practice is suits no one, and whether you’re a remainer who looks at it and thinks, actually, we’re signing up to all the rules but now we won’t be around the table to influence them, or indeed you’re a leaver, who says this doesn’t give us the clean break we want, it doesn’t keep anyone happy.
Blair also hinted there should be three choices for voters: “The question may be complicated because it really involves three choices: Clean Break, ‘soft’ or stay. But the complexity is not insuperable,” he said. “I think that millions of people who voted for leave will feel that this approach is not what they voted for in the referendum in 2016. The basic problem we’ve got is that Westminster works on party lines, but Brexit is above party politics, and so in a way it’s not set up to deal with this issue.”
What was needed was “a clear route forward that settles this European question once and for all”, Greening said. “We have to be pragmatic now about the fact parliament will not be able to take a decision on this final deal.”
She added: “I don’t believe what we need is more to time. What we need is a proper decision that we can follow through on as a country.”
The idea was dismissed by Bernard Jenkin, a hardline pro-leave Tory MP. “It’s a little ill thought out, I’m afraid,” he told Today. “If we wanted to extend the uncertainty for another long period, this is one way of doing it.”
He said the solution to the deadlock was more MPs supporting his view of Brexit. “It is stalemated because the elected politicians are, some of them refusing to implement the decision that was taken by the British people.”
Jenkin said that given parliament could not agree to May’s plan, a no-deal Brexit based on WTO rules should be looked at. Challenged on the strong opposition to this from business groups, Jenkin said: “Well, businesses are lobbying for their bottom lines and their profits.”
Greening’s move has already been seized on by campaign groups seeking a second referendum, as well as by the Liberal Democrats, who said the comments “show that the sensible MPs in the Conservative party recognise the chaos wrought by a divided government”.
Unhappiness from the Tory right over May’s proposed Brexit deal, and their threats to vote it down when a promised meaningful final vote is held in parliament around the turn of the year, have prompted growing speculation that the prime minister may struggle to ensure that whatever she negotiates will be approved by MPs, placing Britain’s future relationship with Europe in limbo.
Other high-profile figures have started to use the belief that there is political deadlock to advance arguments for a second referendum. On Sunday Tony Blair said in a post on the website for his Institute for Global Change that there should be another national vote, because there would no Commons majority for May’s Brexit, a no-deal Brexit or for remaining in the EU.
Blair also suggested there should be three choices for voters. “The question may be complicated because it really involves three choices: Clean Break, ‘soft’ or stay. But the complexity is not insuperable,” he said.
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