Labour MP launches scathing attack on Boris Johnson for suggesting no-deal Brexit would be ‘wonderful’

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The prime minster claimed that a no-deal Brexit would be “wonderful” as the EU agreed it was now the likely outcome.

Visiting the North East of England, Johnson ignored official forecasts that a no-deal Brexit would wipe £40 billion from the UK economy and lead to 300,000 job losses.

The prime minister described the outcome as “very, very likely” – having dismissed the chances of as “million-to-one against” in 2019 – and said it was “a solution that I think would be wonderful for the UK”.

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Lammy tore into the comment during his show LBC radio on Saturday, prior to talks being formally extended beyond the Sunday deadline.

“We were promised an oven-ready deal… and here we are, just 24 hours until this thing concludes and at the end of this month, we’re going to crash out with a no-deal Brexit,” he said before accusing Johnson of “botching” the Brexit process.

“There must be people out there who are really, really alarmed at what’s about to happen to this great country.”

The Labour MP warned a no-deal scenario would lead the value of the Sterling to “fall through the floor” and long queues at Dover port as well as new tariffs on goods.

“Forget the January sales because there are going to be huge tariffs! Supermarkets, for food and all sorts of things, that we import from the European Union,” he added.

“What we’ll get is price inflation and shortages, in part because those hauliers cannot get through because the roads are jammed. And prices will be going up between three and five percent.

“And this is in the middle of a pandemic! I haven’t even mentioned that the economy is shot to bits because of the way they’ve handled this whole crisis.”

He accused the government of creating a patchwork of confusing regulations that saw “one rule one week, another rule the following” and said no-deal seriously threatened the Good Friday Agreement.

He said: “Where does this leave the Good Friday Agreement and Northern Ireland and the promises we made to those good people?

“I remember growing up in the 70s and 80s with bombs going off. My God! Can you believe it? And now he says it would be wonderful?

“Those were his words!”

He told listeners that travelling to Europe would cause “huge problems” around visas and health insurance from January 1.

“These are just a smattering of the problems as a consequence of a no-deal Brexit. This was not the Brexit we were promised.”