Remainer compares Nigel Farage’s plans for Brexit celebrations to a ‘forced marriage’

The panel on Jeremy Vine on 5 were discussing Nigel Farage’s plans for a celebration in Westminster on the day the UK is expected to leave the EU.

Anti-Brexit commentator Yasmin Alibhai-Brown said any attempts to force Remainers to join in the celebrations would be like something out of a dictatorship.

She said: “We live in a democracy and a democracy is an on-going argument.

“And tell to tell 15 million plus people, it’s like a forced marriage. A bride at a forced marriage being told to smile and look lovely and enjoy her wedding.

“I am still mourning and grieving.”

Asked by host Jeremy Vine if she would “feel better if she had a party”, she said: “No! I would not be forced to attend Nigel Farage’s party.”

She added: “I don’t live in North Korea. I’m not going to be forced into enjoying Brexit, no.”

But pro-Brexit commentator Iain Dale was unhappy with her comments.

“Do you understand the concept of losers consent? Because that is integral to democracy,” he replied.

“Yes but winners are behaving really quite badly, they are humiliating us. So, enjoy but we’re not coming,” she continued.

Dale was not prepared to let it go. He queried her comments again. “No they’re not. How is having a private celebration humiliating in any way?”

But Alibhai-Brown pointed out there pointed out there was nothing private about holding an event in Parliament Square.

“Do they not understand that this is not going to heal for a long time and to force us into enjoying something?”

Dale snapped back that the event was private because it was not being held by the state.

He told the Remainer: “It won’t if you use that kind of language. You say you want to heal and yet you’re losing the language of division.”

But Alibhai-Brown said that the country will not heal, before adding she would not be “forced” into a situation.