{"id":13278,"date":"2016-12-11T23:39:57","date_gmt":"2016-12-12T02:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/culturedarm.com\/?p=13278"},"modified":"2017-05-17T23:42:17","modified_gmt":"2017-05-18T02:42:17","slug":"keir-starmer-accepts-vague-plan-while-committing-labour-to-brexit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culturedarm.com\/staging\/5793\/keir-starmer-accepts-vague-plan-while-committing-labour-to-brexit\/","title":{"rendered":"Keir Starmer Accepts Vague Plan While Committing Labour to Brexit"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One would think that with parliamentary sovereignty at stake, as the connotations of only the third nationwide referendum in British history make their way through the court system, all eyes at the current time would be on the Supreme Court as it prepares\u00a0to confirm just who has the right to invoke Article 50.<\/p>\n

Article 50 when triggered will formally notify the rest of Europe of Britain\u2019s intention to withdraw from the European Union. In early November, three of England and Wales\u2019 most eminent judges\u00a0ruled in the High Court that regardless of the result of June\u2019s advisory referendum, the government could not invoke\u00a0Article 50 before obtaining some form of parliamentary consent.<\/p>\n

According to their interpretation, while the royal prerogative does\u00a0afford the government scope to conduct its own international relations, including the signing of treaties, to invoke\u00a0Article 50 would be to take steps\u00a0which would inevitably deprive the people of the country of\u00a0rights which they currently possess thanks to European Union law.<\/p>\n

The government immediately appealed the decision,\u00a0sending it up to the Supreme Court. But the High Court ruling should have provided succour to the rightful opponents of Brexit, including not only the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party, the Greens, and the outward-looking and intelligent, but also the heavy-breathing, mostly inert, disagreeable but still just about sentient Labour Party.<\/p>\n

While 51.89% of voters opted for \u2018Leave\u2019 in last June\u2019s referendum \u2013 17,410,742 voters from a total of 33,577,342, which represented a turnout of 72.21% \u2013 \u2018Remain\u2019 was backed by 216 of Labour\u2019s 230 MPs, and by a reported 63-65% of Labour\u2019s supporters.<\/p>\n

Instead prominent Labour figures were as quick as far-right Conservatives to dismiss the High Court\u2019s reasoned conclusion. Deputy leader Tom Watson grumped \u2018we\u2019re not going to hold this up. The British people have spoken and article 50 will be triggered when it comes to Westminster\u2019. And he was swiftly followed by party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who averred that although the government must show \u2018transparency and accountability\u2019 to parliament, still \u2018Labour\u00a0respects the decision of the British people to leave the European Union\u2019.<\/p>\n

In the intervening weeks the overbearing John McDonnell described Brexit as a \u2018tremendous opportunity\u2019, purportedly causing further disunity in the shadow cabinet. In fact Labour politicians seem to be striking the same note, half whimpering and half compliant, whinnying uncomfortably while resolutely throwing their hands up to Brexit.<\/p>\n

Now Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, has sought to\u00a0cut the Supreme Court off at the knees, stymieing the political process before the process has even had the chance to be enunciated. As the Supreme Court opened its hearing, on the pretence of holding Theresa May to account, Starmer was busy in the House of Commons making sure that Brexit goes full steam ahead regardless of what the Supreme Court judges have to say on the matter.<\/p>\n

Starmer and the Labour Party forwarded a motion calling for \u2018the prime minister to commit to publishing the government\u2019s plan for leaving the EU\u2019 before the invocation of Article 50. The motion was passed by 448 votes to 75, but only after Starmer and Labour readily admitted a Tory amendment to \u2018call on the government to invoke Article 50 by 31 March 2017\u2019.<\/p>\n

While Labour hailed a parliamentary victory, Starmer and his colleagues were mocked by hard-line Brexiters like David Davis, Ian Duncan Smith, and Douglas Carswell, because they had agreed in principle to the government\u2019s timeline while adding nothing which would force the government to reveal anything substantial about their intended negotiation strategy.<\/p>\n

Starmer stressed that he would measure any published plan against five tests:<\/p>\n