On 28 November, Jeremy Corbyn took apart Theresa May’s Brexit deal with simple and eloquent logic in Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Not once, but several times.
“The only deal”
No matter how many times May repeats that her deal “is the best deal” as Corbyn pointed out, this reveals a simple truth:
The prime minister said, ‘this is the best possible deal, it’s the only possible deal’.
And he continued:
Well… it’s not hard to be the best deal if it’s the only deal. By definition… it’s also the worst deal.
This was met with roars of laughter in the Commons:
Jeremy Corbyn on #Brexit: "It's not hard to be the best deal if it's the only deal"
Theresa May: "What does Labour have to offer? 6 bullet points. My weekend shopping list is longer than that"
Follow #PMQs live: https://t.co/tYluBACMOK pic.twitter.com/K2ElC4POZf
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) November 28, 2018
And many people on social media agreed that Corbyn ‘bossed’ it:
Great line from Jeremy Corbyn on the PM's deal: it can't be the best deal if it's the only deal, because, by definition, it is also the worst deal. The Labour leader is bossing Brexit #PMQs.
— Jane Merrick (@janemerrick23) November 28, 2018
Great line from Jeremy at #PMQs – it’s not hard for May’s deal to apparently be the ‘best deal’ if it’s the only one. It’s also technically the worst deal if that’s the case. And it certainly is the worst of all worlds. Time for this pathetic government to stand aside.
— Dave Ward (@DaveWardGS) November 28, 2018
Faultless logic from @jeremycorbyn that the only deal in town has to be, by definition, the best deal in town. #brexitchaos #PMQs
— Liz McInnes 🌹🇺🇦💙 (@LizMcInnes60) November 28, 2018
Some pointed out, Corbyn’s logic even made cabinet ministers ‘smirk’:
Even cabinet ministers are smirking at @jeremycorbyn ‘s observation that it’s not hard to be the best deal if it’s the only deal-totally exposing the false choice the Government are presenting us with #PMQs
— Justin Madders (@justinmadders) November 28, 2018
Frictionless friction
Corbyn was on a roll and he didn’t stop there. He pushed May further saying:
In her Chequers plan, the prime minister promised frictionless trade with Europe after Brexit. Her future partnership guarantees no such thing. Does the prime minister understand why MPs are queuing up not to back her plan?
He went on to say:
All the prime minister can commit to is we’ll be working for frictionless trade. She’s gone from guaranteeing frictionless trade to offering friction and less trade.
What a line.
Good line from Corbyn at #PMQs just then.
“She’s gone from promising frictionless trade to friction and less trade.”
— Rachael Swindon #WeAreCollective (@Rachael_Swindon) November 28, 2018
An absolute zinger from Jeremy Corbyn at #PMQs as he tells the incompetent Theresa May:
You’ve gone from “offering frictionless trade to friction and less trade”
Just call an election Theresa and put us all out of our collective misery.#PoliticsLive
— Shahil Parmar (@shahil95) November 28, 2018
He also raised the fact that May’s spin seems to be in direct opposition to her chancellor Philip Hammond. According to Hammond, all Brexit outcomes, including May’s deal mean the UK will be worse off “in pure economic terms”. As Corbyn said:
The chancellor,however, said that her deal will make people worse off.
He also pointed out that Hammond wasn’t even there. But May didn’t seem to have an answer for that. She repeated – again – that (yawn) this is “the best deal”.
Since announcing her Brexit deal on 14 November, May has thrown Britain into Brexit chaos. Yet she’s clung on to power despite seven resignations and many MPs – including Jacob Rees-Mogg – openly calling for a vote of no confidence. There’s been widespread criticism of the deal both from many Conservatives and all opposition parties. As Corbyn said, this is “the most shambolic government in living memory”:
This is the most shambolic government in living memory.
Today at #PMQs… pic.twitter.com/5nPLrJEil8
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) November 28, 2018
And Corbyn’s lines at PMQs leave what little credibility her Brexit plan tattered even further.
Featured images via screengrab
