The “clueless” government is pursuing an “I haven’t got a clue Brexit”, a Labour peer has said.
Lord Liddle, a former Europe adviser to Tony Blair, said “this Bill is a dagger to my heart”, adding that he was overcome by a sense of shame that “over decades our political leadership failed to make the case for Europe”.
The Cumbria county councillor said his constituents voted to take back control.
Speaking during the second reading debate in the House of Lords of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, he said: “Their revolt was against an economy which is grossly out of balance, against a world of work that no longer offers self-respect and a lack of opportunity that means that over half their children leave their home area after school and never come back.
“Their grievances have for too long been allowed to fester and it’s the seeds of anti-immigration populism that was sown for the unscrupulous to exploit.”
The government, he saidd was suffocated by a pursuit of Brexit that could only make his constituents’ problems worse.
Lord Liddle spoke of his determination, stating: “That the bunch of scoundrels who propagated their Brexit lies aren’t going to get away with it.”
He added: “This clueless government is pursing an ‘I haven’t got a clue’ Brexit.
“The only basis on which the prime minister can unite her party is pursuing a Brexit that knows not where it leads.”
The only question before the country was how big the Brexit damage would actually be, he said.
Labour, he said, needed to take the opportunity to live up to its national responsibilities and internationalist heritage.
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