Outstanding
David Cameron says he does not regret calling the referendum on EU membership.
The former prime minister maintained his decision, that now sees the UK on the brink of political crisis, arguing Theresa May’s proposed draft agreement is “the right thing to do.”
BREAK: David Cameron tells me he does not regret calling the referendum @SkyNews pic.twitter.com/ZQhrG3Ljyt
— Dan Whitehead (@danwnews) December 10, 2018
Approached on the way to his car by Sky News correspondent Dan Whitehead, Cameron was insistent that calling a referendum was not something he regretted. He said: “Of course I don’t regret calling a referendum, I made a promise in the election to call a referendum and I called the referendum.
“Obviously I’m very concerned about what’s happening today but I do support the prime minister in her effort to try and have a close partnership with Europe Union. It’s the right thing to do and she has my support in that.”
Some may remember “the right thing to do” is also how Cameron assessed the Conservative party’s protracted campaign of ideological austerity.
It was the right thing to do https://t.co/d4g2fFma23
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) March 1, 2018
His remarks come as Theresa May called off a vote in parliament on her draft Brexit agreement at the eleventh hour, facing opposition from more than 100 of her own MPs.
Her government had been insistent that parliament would receive a “meaningful vote” on the proposed exit deal. It now looks like that may happen in the New Year, as the prime minister rushes to Brussels to try and secure extra concessions from the EU leadership, particularly in relation to the Irish back stop.
Following an emergency cabinet conference call on Monday morning the prime minister announced she would make a statement to the Commons at 3.30pm. Hours before she stood up in the house information began to leak that May intended to cancel the vote on Tuesday evening.
John Bercow, speaker of the House, told the prime minister that unilaterally blocking a debate and vote from taking place in the Commons would be “discourteous.” He said: “In democratic terms [a vote would be] infinitely preferable.
“I politely suggest that in any courteous respectful and mature environment allowing the House to have a say, its say, on this matter would be the right and dare I say it the obvious course to take.
“Let us see if those who have assured this House, and the public, over and over and over again that this supremely important vote is going to take place tomorrow without fail, rise to the occasion.”
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon called May’s decision “pathetic cowardice” and offered Jeremy Corbyn her support should Labour choose to trigger a no confidence vote.
And, if you need any other indicators of the state of the UK’s political vista, a Labour MP did this in the house on Monday evening:
Chaos ensues as the giant golden mace at Britain’s extremely normal parliament gets lifted up briefly pic.twitter.com/dMs63iLVcO
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) December 10, 2018
Lloyd Russell-Moyle said lifting the mace was a “symbolic protest against this government.”
