A large contingent of British MEPs — including two senior Tories — have been accused of ‘treachery’ after voting with their EU counterparts against progressing the Brexit negotiations to trade talks.
Eighteen Labour MEPs out of twenty — including the group’s acting leader, chairman, and whip — backed a resolution supporting the European Commission’s position that Britain has yet to make “sufficient progress” on the so-called divorce bill, the role of the EU court after Brexit, and more, reports the Daily Express.
Richard Corbett, who currently leads the Labour group in the European Parliament and has argued repeatedly for the Brexit vote to be somehow undone, justified his actions by saying that the UK was to blame for all the stumbling blocks in the talks so far.
However, commentators seem to have been more shocked by the two Tory MEPs — particularly Richard Ashworth, who used to lead the party in Brussels and Strasbourg.
Henry Hill, an editor for the influential ConservativeHome website, questioned “why any lawmaker whose primary loyalty is to this country would vote so directly against its interests, especially when they’re from the same party as forms the national government”.
An unnamed senior Conservative went even further, telling the Express it was “completely unacceptable that two senior MEPs should put their personal interest on Brexit ahead of the national interest”.
“I will be interested to hear how they explain to businesses and workers in their constituencies, that are seeking clarification over Britain’s future relationship with the EU, why they want to delay the start of crucial talks over trade. They have undermined our negotiators and risk playing into the EU’s hands,” they added.
Critics in some quarters have suggested that the politicians are simply doing whatever they can to delay or derail the Brexit process in order to secure their livelihoods — safe in the knowledge that they will not have to face the public vote in the next round of European elections if it does go ahead.
The UK Independence Party’s new leader, borders expert and former army intelligence and police officer Henry Bolton OBE, lambasted the MEPs for having apparently gone native, saying it was “hard to put into words the utter contempt for the British people and the country as a whole these over-stuffed, publically funded, so-called politicians feel” in an official statement.
“The only thing that gives any pleasure is that, due to the wisdom of the 17.4 million who voted to Leave last year, they will soon be handed their P45s.”
The full list of MEPs who voted against the British position is below:
Labour
- Lucy Anderson
- Mary Honeyball
- Theresa Griffin
- Neena Gill
- John Howarth
- Wajid Khan
- Jude Kirton-Darling
- David Martin
- Alex Mayer
- Linda McAvan
- Claude Moraes
- Siôn Simon
- Catherine Stihler
- Derek Vaughan
- Seb Dance
- Julie Ward
- Richard Corbett
- Paul Brannen
Conservatives
Liberal Democrats
Green
Plaid Cymru
Sinn Féin