John Redwood refused to explain to me why he’s willing to see the UK damaged by Brexit – and that’s unacceptable You would think that someone who has been pro-Brexit since the Margaret Thatcher era would have a little bit more […]

You would think that someone who has been pro-Brexit since the Margaret Thatcher era would have a little bit more to say in defence of Brexit than effectively ‘no comment’.

But apparently we’re not supposed to have expectations of our governments these days, so when MP John Redwood and I were on radio together this weekend, he flatly refused to debate me directly on Brexit.

On Sunday, I was invited onto LBC Radio to discuss the customs union, not my favourite topic, but I accepted. I didn’t even kick up a fuss when at the end of the call they slipped in “Oh and by the way, you’ll be up against John Redwood”.

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I won’t lie to you. I had very little knowledge of John Redwood when I accepted the invitation. But fortunately, Wikipedia is a thing. John Redwood, Conservative MP for Wokingham and former cabinet minister has been anti-EU for 30 years.

Old hand at politics

He even advised Margaret Thatcher when, after sparking the creation of the Single Market, she then turned against the EU. He has also regularly discussed how leaving the Customs Union would be completely fine, even though it basically waves goodbye to the Good Friday Agreement.

Presenter Andrew Castle: “John Redwood, if you’d like to respond to that.” John Redwood: “Uh No. I don’t think I’ll respond to that.”

So one would expect that he would have no problem taking on a 28-year-old who’d been “in politics” for just 3 months.

The LBC presenter, Andrew Castle, introduced Mr Redwood’s impressive political credentials. He then gave me an introduction complete with condescending chuckle when he mentioned that Our Future; Our Choice believes Brexit should be stopped.

“Femi, shouldn’t we at least have a preferred option by now, and what should it be?”

Brexit ‘damages UK’

I replied that three-quarters of Brits have no idea what Theresa May wants from Brexit.

The reason for that is that the government itself doesn’t know. Its own experts say that every possible Brexit scenario leaves the country economically worse off. That basically makes it the government position that Brexit harms the economy.

Given that it is government policy to make Brexit happen, it is therefore the policy of this Conservative government to harm the country.

Finding an option that makes that sound acceptable to the British people simply isn’t going to happen, so of course, two years after the Brexit vote, the Tories are still fighting among themselves.

‘I don’t think I’ll respond to that.’

Presenter: “OK. John Redwood, if you’d like to respond to that. Good Afternoon to you.”

MP John Redwood: “Uh No. I don’t think I’ll respond to that. I wasn’t told we were having a debate.”

Chicanery and shenanigans? You mean like going onto a radio show to discuss the biggest issue in this country's recent history and when faced with an opposing point of view, refusing to address it? pic.twitter.com/62OFBhj1ys — Femi (@Femi_Sorry) May 9, 2018

A seasoned politician who has campaigned for Brexit for longer than I have been alive had no answer to the fact that his 30-year pet project, according to his own party’s experts, would make life harder for British people.

He therefore refused to directly address the member of the public who brought this to his attention.

In fairness he wasn’t aware we were having a debate. I won’t speculate as to whether he was given a similarly brief warning to what I was given and it simply didn’t register.

Unacceptable

In any case, simply refusing to engage in the debate or even comment is unacceptable.

I represent an age group that voted 62 per cent remain, one of the groups that would be impacted by Brexit the most, something that his party knows to be harmful.

Even Redwood himself advised his clients not to invest in the UK in 2017, but he leaves the public in the dark.

We deserve an answer for why this government is intentionally ruining our futures. There may have been some noble ideals behind the Brexit vote.

But now we know that it’s not going to work out as many had hoped, why would any government not at least let the people vote to protect themselves from it? “Uh No. I don’t think I’ll respond to that.”