Today Emily Thornberry appeared on the Andrew Marr show to talk left-wing dictators and Brexit. Following in the footsteps of Jeremy Corbyn, the shadow foreign secretary praised the late Fidel Castro. She spoke fondly of what he had done for Cuba’s national health service — but conceded such benefits ‘came at a price’.
However, the comments most likely to land her in hot water come tomorrow related to Brexit. Ever since the referendum result, Labour have struggled to come up with a coherent position on leaving the EU. While Corbyn previously suggested his party would block Article 50 if single market membership was not a part of the deal, Tom Watson — Labour’s deputy leader — has insisted his party will not ‘hold this up’.
Today there was further confusion. Although John McDonnell has specifically ruled out supporting a second referendum — saying Labour ‘must not try to re-fight the referendum or push for a second vote’ — Thornberry appears to have other ideas.
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