Owen Jones: Why A New Centrist Party Would Be A Bad Idea

12 August 2017, 13:17 | Updated: 22 August 2017, 09:55

There are talks of anti-Brexit cabinet ministers starting a new, more centrist political party. Owen Jones thinks this is a terrible idea.

A former chief of staff to the Brexit secretary David Davis has claimed two anti-Brexit cabinet ministers are thinking about starting a new centrist party.

James Chapman has said two, currently anonymous, Conservative MPs have expressed interest in a new anti-Brexit centrist party.

During his first ever LBC show, Owen Jones asked his listeners whether they would welcome a new political party like this.

There were mixed reviews, but Owen made his views clear. He doesn't think it's a good idea.

He said: "I want to put this out there. When we talk about centrists, you think nice, fluffy, moderate, common sense, but actually if you think about it, many of the problems we have, were caused by people who calls themselves centrists.

"Tony Blair, he led us into the Iraq war, hundreds of thousands of people died. The Middle East as a consequence, let's be honest, is in a bit of a pickle ever since, with terrible loss of life still every single day, the rise of ISIS.

"Centrist politicians of all stripes presided over deregulation of the city, of big finance, that didn't end so well either, they didn't tackle inequality and all the rest.

"So I think these politicians would end up pursuing the very policies that have left this country in a mess."