Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab accused of wasting time with 'silly' letter to Labour
2 min read
Labour has blasted Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab for “wasting time” when he should be negotiating with Brussels.
The Cabinet minister was mocked after he wrote a letter to Keir Starmer demanding Labour lay out its position on quitting the bloc.
He demanded “urgent clarification” on reports Labour could call for the suspension of the two-year Article 50 process with a view to calling another referendum.
Mr Raab said: “More than two years on from the referendum, with the right deal within our reach, the vast majority of British people will see that instead of trying to make Brexit a success, Labour are only interested in trying to frustrate the process.”
But a Labour source shot back: “Labour respects the result of the referendum and is not calling for a second referendum.
“With only weeks of Brexit negotiating time to go and no progress in sight, people would expect Dominic Raab to be getting on with the job of negotiating for Britain, not wasting time writing letters to the opposition.”
Meanwhile Labour MP Ben Bradshaw ridiculed the Brexit Secretary for writing “silly letters”.
Sir Keir has said Labour should keep all options - including a referendum on the final Brexit deal - “on the table”.
At the weekend London mayor Sadiq Khan called for a second Brexit vote and said quitting the bloc would have to be delayed in order to hold one.
In his letter, Mr Raab said: “The Government has made clear that we will not hold a second referendum. It would be wrong on principle, and in practice...
“While we work to deliver the instruction of the British people and get the right Brexit deal, people across the United Kingdom will be rightly concerned that Labour’s approach would invite the worst deal and take the country back to square one.”
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