Over recent days, weeks and months, our country has watched
on as Parliament has remained gridlocked - with every news channel dominated by
one issue: Brexit.
The former Prime Minister’s deal was rejected by Parliament
three times, breaking Parliamentary records for the size of the defeats.
The new Prime Minister threatens to force through a no deal Brexit, presenting an unthinkable threat to our country. Even the Government's own documents highlight the potential damage to our country from a no deal Brexit. It would see us leaving on World Trade Organisation rules which could see a significant increase in food prices alone, meaning as the fifth largest economy in the world, we would be trading on the same rules as the Holy See, Timor-Leste and South Sudan.
We all know that it is the poorest who are hit hardest when our economy is hit. This is not project fear, but the practical, real possible consequences of a no deal and I will continue to wholeheartedly oppose it.
But Parliament is in deadlock and there needs to be a mechanism to break the impasse. That’s why I believe in a People’s Vote. We gave the responsibility for deciding on whether we should leave the EU to the people of this country, and now we have seen the terms of a Brexit deal brought back by the previous Prime Minister and the potential under the new Prime Minister of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit, I believe those same people deserve the opportunity to have their say.
Looking back to 2016, I know so much more about the impact of leaving the European Union than I did then.
I suspect that is true for all of us. I have been amazed by the politicians and commentators who suggest that our economy taking a hit would be a price worth paying. The costs and complexities are clearer now than at any stage during the referendum. Parliament is in gridlock. I believe the solution is to let the people decide.
And so, at his first ever Prime Minister's Questions, I was selected to ask Boris Johnson his first ever question. You can watch for yourself here!
As events change in the coming days and weeks, please do not hesitate to contact me at anytime at mcdonaghs@parliament.uk to discuss this vitally important issue.