Jeremy Corbyn: Britain 'heading for cliff edge' over Brexit

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP. Picture: Polly Hancock - Credit: Archant

Confusion over Brexit means that Britain is ‘heading for a cliff edge – with all the problems that creates’, Jeremy Corbyn has warned.

'This is ridiculous, this thing has been defeated comprehensively' - @jeremycorbyn says Theresa May needs to recognise that Parliament needs to do something different, not put her Brexit deal up for a third or fourth vote. #Ridge

For more, head here: https://t.co/KpKvynnkfY pic.twitter.com/4c39r5UgHB
— Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) March 17, 2019

The Labour leader called Theresa May’s position over Brexit ‘ridiculous’ after her plan lost another meaningful vote in parliament this week.

‘This thing has been defeated comprehensively,’ he told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday.

‘She has got to recognise that we have got to do something different.

‘The priority must be that we don’t crash out on March 29.

‘At the moment we’re heading for a cliff edge, with all the problems that creates.’

Corbyn said that while an extension of Article 50 until June would be ‘very tight’, he said: ‘It would be possible to get do what’s needed in that time.’

Labour has said it would back a second referendum on leaving the European Union if it helped to break the deadlock.

But asked by Ridge how he would vote, Corbyn would not commit to voting to remain – instead saying: ‘It depends what the choice in front of us is. It depends what the relationship is that we’ve agreed in the future.’

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti said Britain stands a ‘much better chance without Theresa May’s approach’.

She added: ‘Up and down the country people are just in despair at the shambles of this government’s approach to Brexit.

‘It’s causing great insecurity about people’s jobs.

‘This is no way to run a proper country.’

However speaking on the same programme, chancellor Philip Hammond said: ‘We’re getting very close to resolving this now.’