Tony Lloyd Tells Matt Frei "I'm Not Part Of Any Stalinist Coup"

24 March 2018, 11:28

Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of a "Stalinist purge" after replacing Owen Smith with Tony Lloyd as shadow Northern Ireland secretary.

Mr Smith was removed from his position after calling for a second EU referendum in a newspaper article.

He is replaced by the MP for Rochdale Tony Lloyd, a former police and crime commissioner for Greater Manchester.

But the pro-European former Northern Ireland Secretary Lord Peter Hain called the move "a terrible Stalinist purge."

Tony Lloyd told Matt Frei: "Peter is a friend of mine, but I don't recognise the fact that I'm part of a Stalinist coup."

Matt Frei then asked the newly appointment secretary why the British people couldn't have a second EU vote.

"It's simply not where the country's at" Mr Lloyd said.

"The job of the opposition is to be saying very clearly our expectation is that the deal that comes back from Brussels is one that's in the interest of the people of the United Kingdom, whichever part of the United Kingdom.

"It most certainly does involve no hard border in Ireland."