Bridgen: MPs should not be recalled because I’ve got a holiday booked

Tory Brexiteer MP Andrew Bridgen has said that MPs do not need to be recalled because the government has things under control, and he has a holiday planned for the last two weeks of recess.

Bridgen was appearing on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire's programme to respond to calls from politicians across the political divide that MPs should be recalled.

Labour has been vocal in calling for the Houses of Parliament to resume business sooner, and a petition has been created calling for politicians to return to work to scrutinise the government's no-deal Brexit plans.

But Brexiteer Bridgen insisted: "The government has got things under control, and they are planning for the no-deal in the hope that the EU will renegotiate.

"But what Stephen wants, and those who support taking no-deal off the table, is they don't want us to leave the European Union.

"We had a referendum and the people have spoken."

Stephen Doughty, a Labour MP who is also calling for MPs to return to work, asked Bridgen: "What have you go to fear?"

The Brexiteer responded: "I've worked all summer and I'm going on holiday at the end of August."

"Great for you, what about the businesses and the traders and the ports and all of those others who now have to deal with the utter chaos your government is getting them into. Very nice for you to go away on holiday but what about the ordinary working people of this country?"

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Bridgen's response caused the Labour MP to chuckle as he insisted: "There's no chaos, we haven't yet and we haven't left yet without a deal. By undermining the government's negotiating position you're making a No-Deal Brexit more likely. You need to get behind Boris Johnson and we'll bring the European Union back to the table, get rid of the backstop and renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement."