Last week’s Election was called on Brexit and largely decided on Brexit.

In a Brexit referendum and a Brexit election the public have now been clear, and so should Labour: our fight must be about the type of Brexit and the huge difference between Labour and Conservative visions of our economy. Any question about whether Brexit goes ahead has been closed. I heard this same sentiment talking with many people on the doorstep and in the street during the Election.

For this reason, I took a different stance to the official Labour Party position and did not oppose the introduction of the Government’s Brexit bill today. However, we need a better Brexit than Boris Johnson’s got so far and it’s clear the Tories want an economy where workers’ rights are stripped back, our NHS is opened up to private companies and essential British industries like steel are left to close – within a week of the Election, they’re already backtracking on previous pledges about workplace rights and a higher minimum wage.

So – just as I’ve done since the referendum – I’ll continue to challenge the Government to secure better Brexit terms and fight to safeguard our British jobs, consumer standards and worker’s rights.

  • On 19 December 2019, John spoke to Sky News about Labour’s fight to make the Brexit terms better for Britain.