Damian Green told Iain Dale that Jeremy Corbyn's Brexit position demonstrated an 'abdication of leadership'

24 November 2019, 13:19

Former First Secretary of State under Theresa May, Damian Green, criticised Labour's Brexit proposals saying that Jeremy Corbyn's position was 'not leadership' and that it would produce more 'contempt' for the political process.

The former Cabinet minister was speaking to Iain Dale and said that despite Labour's manifesto being 'their big event of the week' they had actually created a bigger Brexit-related story with Jeremy Corbyn deciding that he 'doesn't have a position on Brexit'.

Damian Green went on to say that the Labour leader's position was 'wholly incredible', and that you 'cannot aspire to be Prime Minister of this country' and with his approach of 'I'm not going to tell you what I think' on the 'biggest decision facing this country since the Second World War'. He said that Jeremy Corbyn's position was the 'abdication of leadership'.

Iain Dale then quizzed Damian Green on what the issue with 'putting it back to the people' was - the former Cabinet Minister responded by saying that the last referendum was 'divisive' and 'frustration with the political process' over the last few years has come from Parliament 'not finding a way to implement' the previous referendum.

He went on to say that Labour's position of 'let's spend another year of having referendums' and with the Labour leader not saying how he would vote in a future Brexit referendum was 'not leadership' and that that another referendum 'does not solve the problem' because it's the end of the process, not the beginning. Damian Green finished by saying that Labour's position of delay would 'store up more contempt' for the political process.