12 Brexit talking points to use on the Labour doorstep

This general election isn’t just about Brexit, but Brexit is the inescapable backdrop. Whatever the Tories say about their plans for the economy or public service, we know they’re walking into an election with a Brexit deal that commits to making us all poorer and to a smaller economy that will pay less tax.

Under their deal, there will be less money for public services and the NHS, as well as hundreds of thousands of job losses. If they ran on the real world impacts of their Brexit deal, they would have no chance. Instead they’re pretending that ‘getting Brexit done’ is the only detail needed.

In contrast, Labour’s Brexit policy puts protecting jobs, wages and public services front and centre. Our new deal, which will go up against Remain in a referendum, will be a ‘least worst’ Brexit. Labour has great policies on childcare, maternity, the Green New Deal and investment that we know we’ll be able to implement because under Labour, Brexit won’t take a hatchet to the economy.

Over the next month our candidates and the party will challenge the Tories in the media. As activists, our job is to speak to voters – and to help them understand a complex subject in a few short minutes. Here’s what we need to say about Johnson’s deal, about Labour’s Brexit policy, and about the Liberal Democrats abandoning democracy.

Top six things to say about Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal:

1. Johnson’s deal would leave us all poorer – on average every household would be £2,000 worse-off every year.
2. The Tories want to take away workers’ rights – that means only ten days annual leave, no guaranteed sick pay, a worse deal for working parents and no guarantee on equal pay.
3. It would be harder for UK businesses to trade with the EU – increasing business costs, which would force some to close. That means more people out of work and in the queue for every job vacancy.
4. They would cut environmental and health regulations, making it harder to stop climate change, introducing riskier food, and dirtier air and water for us and our families.
5. The NHS would be in danger. American companies want to buy up the NHS – and Johnson wants to let them. Even if the NHS stayed free, drugs would cost more – meaning less money and worse care.
6. The Tories won’t end Brexit – they’ll make Brexit go on forever. If their deal goes through, we’ll be in negotiations for decades as we replace the trade deals we already have through the EU.

Top six things to say about Labour’s Brexit policy:

1. Labour is the only main party that will guarantee a second referendum. It’s only fair that the people get to decide on the biggest issue facing the country. If you want a second referendum, you have to vote Labour.
2. Why a referendum? Only a referendum is fair to both sides. The Tories want to impose a damaging Brexit. The Liberal Democrats want to ignore the votes of over 30 million people and pretend Brexit never happened. Only Labour respects your right to choose.
3. Labour’s priorities are what they have always been – jobs, wages and public services. The Brexit deal we will put up against Remain will be a safer deal that would protect jobs, industry and business – and will make sure that the NHS can’t be sold to the US.
4. Once the referendum is over, there will be no more negotiations. Leave or Remain, Labour would keep the trade deals we have through the EU – meaning the government can get back to work.
5. Labour will protect jobs, wages, schools and the NHS, whatever happens with Brexit. The Conservatives would sell off the NHS, let thousands lose their jobs and continue to underfund schools and hospitals.
6. We can’t go on like this, with government endlessly tied up in negotiations. We have real-world problems to fix in our country. The Tories want Brexit to go on forever. Labour will end Brexit in six months – after which government can get back to work.

As for the Liberal Democrats, there are only two things that need saying. First and foremost, they cannot win. A vote for the Lib Dems is a vote for a Johnson victory and a hard Brexit. And second, their Brexit policy is a mess. They want to ignore the votes of over 30 million people in the 2016 referendum, which is undemocratic and would not be a fair end to the Brexit process.

If you need materials and resources for the doorstep you can download them from the party here and from Labour for a Public Vote here. We can win this election. Let’s make sure voters understand what’s at stake and why only a vote for Labour is a vote to resolve Brexit – once and for all.