At the moment, our country is more unsettled, more divided, than I can ever recall. Ministers assure us they are moving towards a deal. The European Union tells us they are not – because no new or viable proposals have been put forward by the British government. The prime minister tells us he wishes to have a deal with Europe. But we don’t see him sitting down in Brussels, hammering out an agreement.
Lip service is paid to the unanimous judgment of the supreme court – that it was unlawful to prorogue parliament for five weeks – while the prime minister tells us the court was wrong and he was right. That is the cry of those found guilty of misdemeanours throughout the ages.
Meanwhile, ministers continue to offer fantasy outcomes of what a post-Brexit future holds for people in every corner of our United Kingdom. As day succeeds day, it seems more likely that we will end up leaving the European Union without any deal at all. On Wednesday night, the prime minister wilfully destroyed any hope of cross-party agreement.
The price of such a negotiating failure will be widespread and will affect rich and poor alike – with one difference: the poor will be far less able to protect themselves. » | John Major | Friday, September 27, 2019
