LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer is facing a revolt over his decision to back Boris Johnson’s EU trade deal in this week’s Commons vote.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and ex-cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw are among the signatories to a statement calling on opposition parties not to support the “rotten” agreement.
Starmer has said he will call on his MPs to support the “thin” post-Brexit free trade agreement, despite grave concerns that it will fail to protect many key economic sectors.
He argued that the alternative of ending the Brexit transition period on December 31 without a deal in place would be even worse for the economy.
However, the former shadow Brexit secretary's stance has upset some pro-Europeans in his party, who say they should not support a flawed agreement and should abstain instead.
The statement has been organised by Another Europe Is Possible and Labour For A Socialist Europe but has attracted support from both wings of the party.
As well as Bradshaw, signatories include ex-cabinet minister Lord Adonis from the Blairite wing of the party. From the left, McDonnell is joined another former shadow cabinet minister, Clive Lewis.
The statement warns that it is the duty of the opposition to provide proper parliamentary scrutiny and to set out an alternative.
“That task gets harder if opposition parties fall into the trap of rallying around this rotten deal,” it said.
“We are witnessing an act of vandalism against our livelihoods, our rights and our horizons.
“We call on Labour, the Labour movement and other opposition parties not to support the Tories’ Brexit deal when it is put to a vote in the House of Commons.”
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon hits back at ‘Better Together’ allies over Brexit deal vote
Other signatories are said to include former MEPs, councillors and local activists.
Labour is alone among the opposition parties in saying it will support the deal – with the SNP and the Liberal Democrats having said they will vote against it.
The DUP – which backed Brexit – has also said it will oppose the deal because the Brexit divorce settlement imposes customs checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
Yesterday Nicola Sturgeon hit back at claims the SNP support a No-Deal Brexit because they don’t back the trade agreement.
She said Labour and the Tories are offering Scotland two options, neither backed by voters who wanted to remain in the EU.
She added it is “time to build a future based on what Scotland votes for”.
Writing on Twitter she said: “Tory/Labour view is that all Scotland can aspire to is a ‘choice’ between a terrible deal we didn’t vote for and ‘no deal’ we didn’t vote for, and even then our view only counts if it accords with Westminster’s. No thanks.”
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