Diane Abbott rubbishes Caroline Lucas’s plan for all-female cabinet to block no-deal Brexit The Green MP wrote to female politicians calling on them to unite against a no-deal Brexit

Diane Abbott has dismissed a plan to form an all-female emergency cabinet with Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, arguing that it won’t work regardless of who is in it.

Ms Lucas on Sunday wrote to leading women politicians and urged them to unite against a “crash-out Brexit”.

She said that they should form an emergency alternative government which would then secure a Commons vote of no-confidence in Boris Johnson followed by the formation of a government of national unity.

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All-female cabinet

Among the women she has invited to join her are Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry, Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson and Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

But Ms Abbott, Labour’s shadow home secretary, dismissed the idea and said that it would not work, regardless of the group’s gender.

The Hackney MP, who was not directly addressed in the letter, tweeted: “Backdoor route to a National Government. Didn’t work for Ramsay MacDonald and won’t work now, whatever the gender of the participants.”

Former Labour leader Mr MacDonald was asked by George V to form a national unity government in 1931 – during the Great Depression – which led to him being expelled by Labour before his unity government was defeated in an election.

Public vote

Labour has thus far ruled out forming any kind of collaborative government with other opposition MPs in the event that Mr Johnson is ousted in a vote of no confidence.

Ms Thornberry responded to the invitation that she thought the best way forward was to put the question back to the public in another referendum.

I thank @CarolineLucas for her fight against Brexit, and I will always stand with her on a platform to Remain, but I worry her new proposed plan would not solve our country's divisions. The people must have the final say, not politicians from either side. Here's my full reply. pic.twitter.com/VByHbf9d7Y — Emily Thornberry (@EmilyThornberry) August 11, 2019

She replied: “I totally agree with you that we need a broad and ever-expanding coalition across all parties in the House to force the Johnson government into giving the public the final say on whether to leave on whatever terms are proposed or whether to remain.”

Ms Thornberry went on: “I believe that is the route to go at this point: a return to democracy, and a return to the people. My fear with the other suggested route – imposing some alternative coalition government without any reference to the public – would risk worsening the feelings of anger and resentment towards ‘Westminster’ that have led us into this Brexit mess.”

Writing in The Guardian, Ms Lucas said the country needs “an ’emergency cabinet’ – not to fight a Brexit war but to work for reconciliation”.

Unite

“And I believe this should be a cabinet of women,” she said. “Why women? Because I believe women have shown they can bring a different perspective to crises, are able to reach out to those they disagree with and cooperate to find solutions.



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“A government of national unity must do exactly that – unite parties. And I believe that a cross-party cabinet of women has the potential to do exactly that.”

The other MPs contacted by Ms Lucas are Tory former cabinet minister Justine Greening, senior Labour backbencher Yvette Cooper, the SNP’s Kirsty Blackman, Liz Saville Roberts of Plaid Cymru, Change UK’s Anna Soubry and the independents Heidi Allen and Lady Sylvia Hermon.