Brexit: Theresa May has ‘no chance’ of getting her deal through parliament, Keir Starmer says

Shadow Brexit secretary to call for MPs to hold ‘open and frank debate’ to find ‘credible solutions’ to current crisis

Theresa May will fail if she tries to force her Brexit deal through parliament a second time, Labour‘s shadow Brexit secretary will warn today.

Sir Keir Starmer will use a speech in central London to tell the prime minister her proposed agreement has “no chance” of being passed by parliament.

Instead, he will call for MPs to have an “open and frank debate” about how to break the deadlock gripping the Commons.

Sir Keir will speak as Ms May prepares to update MPs on how she plans to proceed after her deal was overwhelmingly rejected just days ago.

The prime minister will make a statement in the Commons on Monday to outline the government’s proposed next steps, after she held talks with MPs from all parties to try to find a compromise solution.

Jeremy Corbyn ordered Labour MPs not to take part in the talks and said he would not hold discussions with the prime minister until she agreed to rule out a no-deal Brexit – something she said was “impossible”. In a letter to the prime minister on Friday he said her offer of talks was "not genuine".

Sir Keir will tell the Fabian Society’s new year conference that there are “no easy routes out of the crisis the government has got us into on Brexit” and accuse Ms May of being “reckless”.

He will say: ”The prime minister suffered the largest defeat of any government in history and did so on the defining issue of this parliament. In normal times, that would mean a new prime minister and a new government. But these aren’t normal times.

“We have a government that can’t govern, a Brexit deal that has no chance of getting through parliament and a prime minister who stubbornly refuses to drop the very red lines that led to this crisis.

“People often praise the prime minister for her resilience. But, what the prime minister is doing right now is not resilience. It’s reckless. Ploughing on without a plan while the country lurches from one crisis to another.”

As MPs prepare to debate the government’s proposed “plan B”, culminating in a vote on 29 January, Sir Keir will call for parliament to come up with “credible solutions” to the current crisis.

He is expected to say: ”It’s now time for an open and frank debate about how we break the deadlock. There are no easy routes out of the mess this government has got us into on Brexit. Difficult decisions are going to have to be made by parliament.

“For too long the prime minister has offered the country false hope and false promises. She has failed to be straight with the public about the consequences of the choices she has taken.

“Now is the time for an honest debate and for credible solutions to emerge.”