Keir Starmer Says The Public See EU Elections As Brexit "Opinion Poll"

22 May 2019, 14:16

People are seeing EU elections as an "opinion poll" on remain or Brexit, Sir Keir Starmer says.

The Shadow Brexit Secretary was speaking to Nick Ferrari the day after Theresa May announced a new Brexit plan containing a raft of measures to try and get a withdrawal agreement through the House of Commons to help move the stalled Brexit process on.

It looks like the Prime Minister is going to "lose badly" the Shadow Brexit Secretary said.

Nick put it to him that the Prime Minister's latest Brexit plan has the "workers rights that you, and some of your Labour colleagues have been worried about.

"It has this customs arrangement or customs options, it has a Northern Ireland lock. This is everything that I understood you were looking for?"

Sir Keir responded: "What the Prime Minister is doing is offering that we can have a vote on those issues, that she is prepared to put her customs policy up for a vote against a temporary customs union.

"She's not saying 'I'll change my position' she's simply saying you can have a vote on it."

The former Director of Public Prosecutions said: "We have now reached a stage in Parliament where most MPs feel they're perfectly entitled to a vote, whether the Prime Minister gives it to us or not."

Nick Ferrari put it to the MP that "the Labour party is not faring well," asking "why might that be?"

Sir Keir said: "We've got to do more, I think people are seeing Thursday as an opinion poll on remain or Brexit.

"When actually what it's about is returning real MEPs to do a job of work in the European Parliament."

Watch the whole exchange at the top of the page.