THE Prime Minister and the Labour Party have been urged to admit that “Brexit can’t work”.
The SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn confronted Rishi Sunak over his new deal for Northern Ireland, the so-called Windsor Framework, amid reports he could face a substantial Tory rebellion in the Commons on Wednesday.
Flynn said Brexit was going to hammer Britain’s levels of productivity and pointed to the possibility three former Tory leaders would vote against the Prime Minister’s deal.
He said: “What worries the Prime Minister most about Brexit right now? Is it the likely 4% hit to UK productivity or is it three former Tory leaders planning to vote down his deal this afternoon?”
@StephenFlynnSNP asks the Tories and Labour Party when they will 'realise that Brexit can't work' pic.twitter.com/iDerD9wYy0
— The National (@ScotNational) March 22, 2023
This comment was met with jeers from the Tory benches when Theresa May rose in a bid to intervene – to say she would back the bill. Flynn clarified on Twitter he had been referring to Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Iain Duncan-Smith, who led the Tory party from 2001 to 2003.
Sunak replied: “The Windsor Framework represents a good deal for the people and families and businesses of Northern Ireland, it restores the balance of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement and ensures Northern Ireland’s place in our precious Union.
“But what I would say to him, I was more intrigued to see the words of his own party’s president, who just this past week has described his own party as being in their words, as being in a ‘tremendous mess'.”
Sunak was referring to comments made by the SNP’s interim president Michael Russell, who said the party had to “rebuild” trust after the turmoil of the leadership election.
Flynn hit back, confronting the Prime Minister on the decline in Britons’ living standards, the record-high tax burden and soaring inflation.
He said: “The reality is that while Westminster is once again being consumed by the damage being caused by Brexit, the public at home are facing the biggest fall in living standards ever, the highest tax burden since the end of the Second World War and inflation at 10.4%.
“When are the Conservative Party – and indeed the Labour Party – going to realise that Brexit can’t work?”
Sunak responded: “The actions this government are taking are ensuring that fully half of most families’ energy bills are being supported by this government, we’re also making sure that we’re delivering for people, cutting NHS waiting lists and that’s something that we’re happy to work with the Scottish Government to learn and share best practice with them on.
“We’re also Mr Speaker delivering on the people’s number one priority – which is to stop the boats and end illegal migration.”
