Brendan O’Neill Brendan O’Neill

Jeremy Corbyn has ditched his principles over Brexit

Remember when people would say things like, ‘Jeremy Corbyn might talk a lot of nonsense but at least he has principles’? We now know what rot that was. Corbyn is, in my view, the most unprincipled politician in the UK right now, and by some margin. Exhibit A: this man who was a devoted Eurosceptic his entire life has now effectively been employed by the establishment to keep us tied to the EU. This man who raged against the Brussels machine for years is now tasked with softening Brexit to such a degree that Britain will remain tied to the Brussels machine. For a taste of power, for a taste of influence, Corbyn has sold out everything he once believed in. It is a depressing and depraved spectacle.

The news that Theresa May is having talks with Corbyn has got some Tory supporters hot under the collar. Some are cutting up their membership cards. ‘Don’t talk to this Marxist!’, they cry, suggesting they’re in dire need of a dictionary so that they might look up what the word Marxist actually means. May deciding to work with Corbyn to try to make her deal, or some deal, acceptable to parliament is not the shocking thing here — after all, she’s desperate, and we know she’s determined to push through her irritatingly soft Brexit. No, the shocking thing is Corbyn’s willingness to play the role of Mr Super Soft Brexit, the guy who will essentially do the EU’s bidding by trying to convince May to keep us in the Customs Union, aligned with the Single Market, and in some kind of Common Market 2.0.

It is difficult to overstate the gravity of the betrayal that this entails. In willingly lining up to try to soften further Mrs May’s already soft Brexit, Corbyn is betraying himself, his principles, his movement and his mentors.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in