SHADOW chancellor John McDonnell MP has said Labour would not do a power-deal with the SNP but invited opposition MPs to “gather” around the flag of their alternative Brexit plans.
On the second of his two-day Scotland visit, McDonnell attended a conference on the economy in Airdrie.
Speaking to reporters before the event, he said: “We’ve planted this flag around an alternative proposal and we are going to try to rally support around that. There may be other ideas that come up but up until now the debate has been focused on Theresa May’s deal, which people know there is no support for.”
READ MORE: Tories are 'finally waking up the reality of a humiliating defeat'
McDonnell continued to rule out the possibility of any formal negotiations with the SNP and insisted discussions with the Scottish Government were unlikely to evolve.
He said: “We had a meeting with Nicola Sturgeon two weeks ago which was an exchange of views, that’s all. The exchange of views was that all the main opposition parties are opposed to a no-deal, apart from the DUP.”
He added the meeting was “simply an exchange of views”.
Also refusing to say if Labour had plans to offer indyref2 within a manifesto, he said “there will be debate on those issues and the manifesto will be developed in the normal way”.
The shadow chancellor rejected the idea that Labour were proposing a Norway-style model, instead underlining Labour’s proposals of securing permanent customs union membership, more influence on trade and the protection of employment, environmental and consumer rights were part of their “own design proposal”.
READ MORE: May's deal savaged as 'useless' by Brexit Committee
McDonnell added he believed Labour could “negotiate frictionless trade” but their proposal “stood in its own right” apart from European Free Trade Association arrangements.
If Theresa May’s vote does indeed lose on Tuesday McDonnell believes the fall-out would create a “vacuum, which we [Labour] can fill and there is an opportunity for a more constructive debate”.
Questioned on the opinions of other parties towards Labour’s alternative plans, he said: “We have laid them out there and we will see if they respond to it. The onus is on them. We have not had any dialogue, we’ve simply put the proposals out there, planted the flag and we will see who rallies to it.”
He refused to accept he had contradicted the stance of Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard by previously suggesting an Article 30 could appear on a future Labour Party manifesto.
During a Glasgow press conference last week, he said: “If [the need for permission for a Scottish independence vote] arises then we will consider it then, but it’s a hypothetical at the moment.”
Leonard has consistently denied this would be a possibility stating that he would “fight with every sinew” to persuade Corbyn to deny another referendum.
McDonnell said: “Richard and I are on the same page. We oppose a referendum. It is a complete distraction.”
In response to the shadow chancellor’s visit, an SNP spokesperson said: “The Scottish Parliament has voted overwhelmingly against the false choice of Theresa May’s bad deal or no deal – and the UK Government is staring defeat in the face this Tuesday.”
They added there is a “real opportunity to look at real alternatives” like a second referendum or staying in the single market.
They went on: “Those are the serious options which protect Scotland’s interests that we’re happy to discuss with all other parties.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel