Trust Labour, Not the Lib Dems, on Brexit

Since 2016, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party has consistently defended workers’ interests amid Brexit chaos. All the while, the Lib Dems have just blamed them and exploited the crisis for political gain.

Jeremy Corbyn Addresses Manchester Campaign Rally

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks onstage during an election campaign event at the O2 Apollo Manchester on November 7, 2019 in Manchester, England. Christopher Furlong / Getty Images


As the election campaign gathers pace, Labour’s main opponents are denouncing its record over Brexit. But the stories they tell about that record baldly contradict one another.

The Tories insist that Labour has thwarted Brexit at every turn, forcing Theresa May and Boris Johnson to miss two deadlines for Britain’s departure from the EU. The Liberal Democrats, on the other hand, accuse Labour of facilitating Brexit and propping up the Tories. Their claim to be the only true “Remain party” forms the centerpiece of their platform.

While both stories are deceptive and self-serving, it’s the Lib Dems who are really trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes. In reality, it’s Labour’s strategy since the referendum of June 2016 that has prevented the Tories from pushing through their own deeply reactionary version of Brexit. And that strategy now offers the best way to resolve Britain’s political crisis.

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