Growing nationalism is pulling the UK apart and the country is ‘sleepwalking into oblivion’ amid fears of a no deal Brexit, former PM Gordon Brown warns
- Brown stated that UK is ‘sleepwalking to oblivion’ and ‘economic calamity’
- He says he will support any measure required to stop ‘undemocratic’ no-deal
- Brown believes that a ‘destructive, populist, nationalist ideology’ has been introduced by Boris Johnson
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown says he fears for the future of the United Kingdom as he predicts ‘nationalist ideology’ will pull the union apart.
Delivering his grim warning Brown stated that the UK may be ‘sleepwalking to oblivion’ and an ‘unprecedented economic calamity’ as it moves closer towards a no-deal Brexit.
Writing in The Observer the former Labour PM stated that the union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will find itself ‘devoid of a unifying purpose’ when faced with a crashing exit from the EU.
Gordon Brown (pictured) previously said he feared that if Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister it will spell the end of the UK
His comments come as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan admits he is open to a unity government.
The discussions come as anti no-deal MPs struggle to agree who should lead a temporary government if Johnson loses a vote of no confidence in September.
Despite not being entirely behind a government of national unity Brown states that he will give his ‘full support’ to any measure required to stop a no-deal Brexit.
Brown believes that a ‘destructive, populist, nationalist ideology’ has been introduced by Boris Johnson writing: ‘We can’t trust the Boris Johnson government not to play fast and loose with our country’s future, so decisive action must be taken.’
Boris Johnson says he will not rule out no-deal
Writing in the Observer Brown states: ‘If we are to understand why we are facing not only our most serious constitutional crisis since the 17th century but at the same time an unprecedented economic calamity precipitated by a no-deal exit from the European Union, we must recognise that nationalism is now driving British politics.
‘It follows that only thus – as an outward-looking, tolerant, fair-minded and pragmatic people – can Britain recover its cohesion and common purpose. These precious ideals could not survive the divisiveness and chaos of a no-deal Brexit. To prevent the rise and rise of dysfunctional nationalism the first step is to stop no-deal in its tracks.’
Fears that a no-deal Brexit could spell the end of Scotland’s membership of the UK seems to be reflected in voter polls as 60 percent of Scottish voters think the nations support for Scottish independence will rise in the case of a no-deal Brexit, according to Focaldata polling for the anti-racist Hope Not Hate campaign, reports The Guardian.
Despite concerns over the stability of the UK after Brexit a poll of 3,200 Conservative party supporters across the UK by the same campaign found that 57 per cent of those questioned said that the end of the union would be worth it to achieve Brexit.
Brown has called for the government to put an end to parliamentary poker as there is ‘no time to bluff’ to avoid ‘the default outcome’ which he believes will be a no-deal Brexit.
Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, warned that Britain would find itself the biggest losers in a no-deal Brexit.
The EU president told the Austrian paper Tiroler Tageszeitung: ‘If it comes to a hard Brexit, this is in no one’s interest, but the British would be the big losers.
‘They pretend it’s not like that, but it will be … We have made it clear that we are unwilling to renegotiate the exit agreement.’