British House of Lords Member Peter Hain on Brexit

HAIN: Because you see, Theresa May’s, the prime minister’s, so-called deal actually doesn’t sort anything out for the longer-term. It gets Britain through the Brexit barrier that she is absolutely determined to do in line with the referendum results of two years ago but it doesn’t deal with future trading relationships. It leaves a completely uncertain future and an unstable future because the trading relationship between Britain and the real European Union where half our trade is, half our trade or economy depends upon it, many, many thousands — millions of jobs depend upon. It’s absolutely crucial to try and have a future trading relationship with the European Union at the same time as staying outside the customs union, which is what she wants to do, and outside the single markets, which she — what her policy wants to do, both of which are crucial to the frictionless open trade we’ve enjoyed now for 40 years or more. The — you know that is all up in the air. And so, the backstop was the insurance policy to say what matters a bubble is to maintain peace and stability on the island of Ireland in the way that was delivered by the Good Friday Agreement. And for that, you need this insurance policy that Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would have the same trading relationship to simplify matters. And that’s where it’s come unstuck. Because her MPs did not want this to continue forever, they thought maybe this insurance policy being a permanent insurance policy because they could never reconcile the irreconcilable.

AMANPOUR: Well, I mean, they’re probably right because it is completely, as you say, practically irreconcilable. Just to point out that there’s a lot of demonstrating and chanting and protesting behind you. There have been a huge number of protests both for and against Brexit over the weekend. And as it gets to crunch time, people’s voices are being heard. So, if this is so impossible — I mean, I and as you rightly say, the prime minister is being forced to square an impossible circle, that seems to have been an obvious the long. This process goes ahead. But let me ask you this because you are firmly in the remain camp and I assume that you would be behind the sort of procedures trying to get a second vote. Is that correct?

HAIN: I’m in favor of a people’s vote because I think this is such a mess and I do not believe that even those who are most strongly voted to leave in the referendum two years ago for this mess. And I don’t see any way out of this mess except a vote to the people to say it’s surely, it’s better to remain after all of this.