Sarah Champion’s Brexit Position

I want my position on Brexit to be very clear.

I accept, respect and I’m doing all I can to honour the result of the referendum and leave the European Union. My voting record shows this.

My first priority is to get the best deal possible. On leaving Europe we should aim to protect our industries, worker and environmental rights and maintain our security agreements.

However, if this is not possible, I strongly believe that we must leave the European Union even if that means leaving without a deal in place.

Last night there was a debate to extend leaving the EU to the 31st January 2020. I believe the best way to prevent both ‘No Deal’ and to stop the revocation of Article 50 is to come up with a deal that MPs can agree on. To that end, I used the debate to table an amendment with a cross-party group of MPs to force the Government to publish the ‘Withdrawal Agreement Bill’, the deal negotiated between Theresa May and the Labour Front Bench. This Bill never saw the light of day as the Conservatives sacked May, but it offers security on workers’ rights, environmental standards and good protection for jobs in this country. The Bill represents a cross-party consensus, its publication could break the deadlock and lead to a positive Brexit for Rotherham.

I would not have voted for the Bill last night if the cross-party amendment to get a deal had not been successful.

Let me be clear: Boris Johnson does not have the confidence of the House. He doesn’t have an alternative deal or a plan, he just wants to hold on to power at all costs. I think it is worth one last attempt to secure a deal that protects the UK, if that is not possible by the 31st January, I will vote to leave the EU regardless. The wishes of the majority in Rotherham are clear and I will do everything that I can to deliver upon them.