The word “unprecedented” has defined my time in parliament since being elected in 2017. It is unprecedented for MPs to receive death threats from constituents. Governments usually pass laws thanks to a working majority and, if they can’t, it is unprecedented for the official opposition to refuse to call a vote of confidence and trigger an election.
Now another unprecedented event is being mooted: the first December election since 1923. Concerned at briefings that the Conservatives may be asked to stand on a no-deal Brexit platform in the party’s manifesto, a group of One Nation MPs, including myself, visited Downing Street this week to find out if a new Brexit policy had been invented. At the meeting, prime minister Boris Johnson and his team were very open to our ideas for the forthcoming manifesto — actively listening, highly engaged and taking notes. This is a stark contrast to the 2017 manifesto process, where cabinet ministers first read the document on the train journey to the launch event. Speaking to Mr Johnson, I was struck by how desperate he is to move on to the domestic agenda, with bold plans to increase investment in the National Health Service, schools, police, roads, green technologies and more. All this, of course, can only be tackled once Brexit (or this first phase at least) is completed.
To read Gillian’s full article click the link: https://www.ft.com/content/5d1300d4-ec15-11e9-aefb-a946d2463e4b?shareType=nongift
