Dominic Raab accused of 'misleading the public' on the possibility of a no-deal Brexit
2 min read
Dominic Raab has been accused by MPs of “misleading the public” by claiming he raised the possibility of a no-deal Brexit during the EU referendum when there is no evidence to show he did.
Labour’s Ben Bradshaw has written to the new Foreign Secretary saying his “pronouncements since taking the job just a few days ago risk bringing this great office of state into disrepute”.
A former foreign office minister himself, Mr Bradshaw said for Mr Raab to claim there is a mandate for leaving without a deal is “deeply dishonest”, calling on him to apologise.
The row started when the Cabinet minister appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier this week, and said he and other leave campaigners had made “clear” if a good deal wasn’t available “we should go on and make a success of Brexit”.
He claimed he was questioned on it "almost every time I appeared" in the media in the run-up to the vote in 2016, adding "there's all sorts of interviews which said that of course we'd prefer a deal, but that there would be a risk".
But an investigation by Channel 4’s FactCheck said: “We can’t find an interview where Mr Raab warned explicitly about the possibility of a no-deal Brexit during the referendum campaign.”
And the BBC’s Reality Check team said he spoke to 5Live Breakfast about the risk of a “WTO Brexit”, but was clear that was only a “worst case scenario”.
Adding: “After days looking through the archives, we have not been able to find any other clear examples of Mr Raab talking about the possibility of a no-deal exit before the referendum on 23 June 2016.”
Mr Bradshaw’s letter to him states: “I was astonished to hear you claim on the BBC’s Today programme on Monday 29th July that the prospect of a No Deal exit from the European Union was widely discussed and considered a realistic prospect during the 2016 EU referendum.
“You must know this is simply not true.”
Fellow Labour MP and People’s Vote campaigner Ian Murray has said he will raise this issue with Mr Raab when he appears before the Foreign Affairs Committee.
He said: “It is an insult to the great office of British Foreign Secretary that he holds to twist the truth in this way, and he must be held to account.”
In response a Foreign Office spokesperson pointed to the 5Live interview in March 2016, and said: "The foreign secretary has given tangible examples of when all eventualities, including a no-deal Brexit, were raised in the run up to the referendum in 2016."
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