Did Remainers Work With EU To Write Benn Act? James O'Brien Asked The Man Who Wrote It
30 September 2019, 12:19
A Daily Mail article claimed that Remainers worked with the EU and French Government to write an Act which asks Boris Johnson to request a Brexit extension - but the man who wrote it refutes this.
David Lock QC told James O'Brien: "I drafted the first draft. Then, a group of people, all of whom were UK-based lawyers, some of whom are very eminent parliamentarians, took my draft and improved it."
He said: "If you asked me what was the process, it was all domestic. Was it being dictated to me by Europe? No. It's nothing to do with Europe."
Lock said he drafted it at his desk in Worcestershire, without any help.
In a tweet, he posted a picture of said desk.
If the Mail on Sunday wants to know where the Benn Bill was drafted - it was here in Bewdley, Worcestershire. Not in Brussels and no EU interference. Pure Worcestershire! https://t.co/ABm80vErau pic.twitter.com/uVYS5QQYHW
— David Lock QC (@DavidLockQC) September 29, 2019
James O'Brien referred to the Mail article as "nonsense" and "an utterly unsourced claim".
Lock said: "Nobody got paid for this, nobody was giving instructions. We were doing this because there was a shared commitment that there was no mandate for No Deal and therefore, Parliament, if they wanted to, should be abe to enforce that. Parliament decided to do that."
He added: "Those who are complaining about it, looking around for some conspiracy theory to try and blame others. Frankly, just as the whole Brexit as the whole Brexit campaign was always run. It's simply not true."
