British politics was again in disarray after cross-party talks between Labour and Conservatives over Brexit collapsed on Friday.
After six weeks of meetings, the Brexit crisis talks broke down with both Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May pointing the finger at the other party.
The Prime Minister blamed the Labour parties unclear position on Brexit as a key reason behind the collapse. Meanwhile, the Labour leader criticised the government’s “growing weakness and instability”.
The breakdown has triggered strong reactions from the Confederation of British Industry and the Irish Prime Minister.
MPs and peers are expected to leave Westminster on May 23 and not return until June 4.
Confederation of British Industry
Another day of failed politics, another dispiriting day for business. Uncertainty continues to paralyse our economy. May parliamentary recess must be cancelled and used to agree a deal asap. Business and the UK need an urgent resolution to this mess. It’s time to get on with it.
— Carolyn Fairbairn (@cbicarolyn) May 17, 2019
CBI director-general, Carolyn Fairbairn said the economy was paralysed by Brexit uncertainty. She condemned Westminster’s “dismal” failure to make progress.
She also said: “Another day of failed politics, another dispiriting day for British business.
Fairbairn stressed: “Business and the country need an urgent resolution to this mess. This is no time for holidays. It’s time to get on with it.”
Leo Varadkar
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said:
“It’s a very serious development and a very negative development unfortunately,”
Len McCluskey
Unite the Union boss Len McCluskey called for a general election after the breakdown in cross-party talks.
He said: “Jeremy Corbyn and his team entered into these talks in good faith. But it is now apparent that no serious progress can be made with this government in chaos.”
Andy McDonald
Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said Jeremy Corbyn was right to pull the plug on cross-party talks.
McDonald said: “You can’t keep going if there’s no prospect of getting a successful outcome or any meaningful progress. That’s the position that we’ve reached this week and Jeremy has made the right decision”.
