We must pass Yvette Cooper’s Bill and use the coming months to fix Britain (Picture: Getty)

We are treading on wafer-thin ice.

In just nine days’ time, the UK could crash out of the EU in a disastrous no-deal Brexit – or we could begin a democratic process that might heal our communities and ensure we never face a political crisis like this again.

Finally acknowledging that nothing will unite the two Tory parties, and that the polls suggest they’d be annihilated in a general election, the prime minister is turning to Jeremy Corbyn.

On the surface she appears open to accepting Labour’s idea of a soft Brexit – but her plan looks distinctly like a trap. Theresa May is sinking, and she’s trying to drag Corbyn down with her.




She knows full well that the EU won’t countenance any binding changes to her deal.

The best Corbyn could hope for from these talks would be a bit of aspirational language in the political declaration about trying to secure a customs union.

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With May having promised to step down if her deal passes to make way for an extreme Brexiteer, that language won’t be worth the paper it’s written on.

And if this week is wasted renegotiating a dead deal, we will miss our chance to request the long Article 50 extension we need to deliver something better.

Instead of acquiescing in a damaging Brexit and rolling out the red carpet for Prime Minister Johnson, Corbyn should get behind his backbenchers.

Today MPs will try to secure time to discuss Yvette Cooper’s crucial bill – which would force Theresa May to ask the EU for more time. With the stalemate continuing, Parliament must pile into this lifeboat legislation.

At stake are our constituents’ futures. Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill this week issued a harrowing warning of what no-deal could mean for people’s lives.

Food prices could rise by 10 per cent – at a time when the botched roll-out of Universal Credit is forcing thousands to rely on food banks.

Businesses that trade with the EU could face collapse – putting livelihoods at risk and piling pressure on the Government to spend public money on bailing them out.

Our country would be less safe, as police and security services lose access to vital law enforcement tools like the European Arrest Warrant.

A matter of days before we face a disastrous no-deal, I don’t pretend any easy answers exist.

In Northern Ireland, the volume and controversy of necessary decisions mean the government would impose direct rule – a move that could inflame an already tense situation.

And, given the government’s abject failure to replace the EU regulators we rely on, polluters would be free to poison our rivers, trash our countryside and destroy precious habitats for wildlife. This cliff-edge is just days away.

But none of that is inevitable. If this process has taught us anything, it’s that everything can change within a matter of hours. There is still time for MPs to force a long Article 50 extension, and to use those extra months to deliver the hope our society needs.



At this point, democracy is the only constructive way forward, and that must start with European Parliament elections in May.

Disorganised and divided, the Conservatives are terrified of this prospect – extolling the virtues of the 2016 referendum result, while avoiding further democracy at all costs.

Instead of dreading how the public might respond, all sides should embrace these inevitable elections as an opportunity to set out clear policies on the EU.

For the Green Party, that means as well as celebrating its achievements, we also need to acknowledge its flaws and champion bold reforms to build a fairer, greener, more democratic Europe.

From there, a public conversation about our national priorities can begin in earnest ahead of a People’s Vote. While Brexiteers offer anger and blame, any new Remain campaign must set out a manifesto designed to fix Britain instead.

Politicians have spent the past three years telling Leave voters what they want – so those of us who believe we have bigger problems than Brexit must empower those communities to speak for themselves.

By committing to citizens’ assemblies – where representative groups of people hear independent evidence and carefully consider an issue – we can let the public decide how new long-term investment should be spent in their areas, for example, and how regions and local councils should be empowered to make decisions.

By offering a fairer electoral system where every vote counts, we could end our fracturing two-party system and introduce a spirit of compromise to our politics that might prevent another crisis.


By setting out plans to transform our economy – through a Green New Deal designed to create hundreds of thousands of green jobs and tackle climate breakdown – we can reverse inequality and deliver security to communities hollowed out by austerity and deindustrialisation.

Brexit was caused by frustrations a New Green Deal could cure

And by listening to people’s concerns about immigration, we can work with communities who’ve experienced rapid changes to strengthen local public services and make the opportunities of free movement available to all.

Those are the ideas Labour should be getting behind if Corbyn’s true priority is building a fairer society – not limiting the damage of a dangerous Brexit.

A matter of days before we face a disastrous no-deal, I don’t pretend any easy answers exist. But with Labour’s support, MPs can end Parliament’s paralysis by creating the space we need for democracy.

We must pass Yvette Cooper’s Bill and use the coming months to fix Britain.

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