There is no democratic mandate for a hard Brexit

Molly Scott Cato, who is Green Party speaker on EU relations and the parliamentary candidate for Bristol West, has responded to Theresa May’s Brexit speech saying:

“With the slogan ‘Take back control’ ringing in her ears, the Prime Minister has decided to ignore the will of the British people and take us out of the single market.  There is no democratic mandate for this decision and it reverses the promise to stay inside, without which the British people would not have been convinced to vote to Leave the EU. Like the referendum itself, it is a decision taken for the convenience of the Conservative Party, not for the good of the country or for the wellbeing of the British people.

“The massive impact on businesses of leaving the single market means the Tories can no longer claim to be the party of business. And surveys have shown the public would rather keep the UK in the single market than cap immigration.

“The speech also failed to offer any guarantees on maintaining the high standards of environmental protection that EU membership provides, while the threats of a new low tax economic model are a slap in the face to the many people on the Left of British politics who voted to Leave.

“It is clear that the May government has no political, let alone popular, mandate for the hard Brexit she intends to pursue. The Tory right is taking our country by the throat, cheered on by the more unsavoury forces of the far right. This is not a plan to bring the country together; the hard Brexit May has chosen to follow means it will continue to be torn apart.”

Molly has also had a blog post published on Huffington Post, responding to the Conservative government’s approach to Brexit: Polls And Politics: There’s No Mandate For A Hard Brexit