It's not our fault – it's Brexit's, says MP Pat McFadden
Pat McFadden has defended Parliament over the continued log-jam over Britain's departure from the EU, insisting: "It's not our fault, it's Brexit's."
The Remain-backing Labour MP insisted that a people's vote on any Brexit deal was the only way to get the country out of a "holding pattern" which had "crippled" politics for three years.
He said he refused to give Boris Johnson the "get out of jail card" of a general election before Brexit had been sorted out, arguing Parliament needs more legislation to emphatically rule out the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.
The Wolverhampton South East MP spoke as Parliament returned to action in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling against Mr Johnson's prorogation.
Pressed on whether Remainers looked "weak" for repeatedly rejecting the Prime Minister's offer of a general election, Mr McFadden said: "We've got to get out of the holding pattern. I understand public frustration with this.
"It has crippled our politics for three years. That's not Parliament's issue, that's Brexit's issue.
"It's done tremendous damage to our international standing. The way through this is to give people a final say on the manner of leaving, or whether they want to remain."
He added: "What Parliament shouldn't do is give Boris Johnson the get out of jail card that he is looking for, which is to have a cut and run election in the middle of all this.
"It wouldn't be in the public interest, it wouldn't be in the country's interests.
"That's why it is right to keep him here and to make sure he has to face up to the fundamental Brexit choice now, which is either he comes back with a deal to Parliament and lets us vote on that, or if he wants a no deal, he has to make that judgement and justify it.
"That's why I think having an election now – which he has wanted since day one – before all these things are decided would be absolutely the wrong thing to do."
Mr McFadden said the Prime Minister had "started using very similar language now to people who have been pushing for a final say referendum" on Brexit.
"He's been talking about putting it back to the people, letting the people decide, trusting the people and so on. So he has raised this question of another vote on Brexit," he said.
"Once he's done that in principle, all that's left to decide is in what manner that should be done.
"It seems to me that if the Prime Minister is calling for another vote on Brexit, then why not have a vote on Brexit?"
He said Mr Johnson's continued insistence that the UK would leave the EU on October 31 meant he could not be trusted to abide by Parliament's vote to block no-deal.
"We are in new constitutional territory so it is unsurprising... that Parliament wants to make sure that the law that we passed just a couple of weeks ago is adhered to by the Government."
Mr McFadden also suggested it was unlikely that any Brexit deal would pass through the Commons unless there was an agreement that it would go to a people's vote.
