Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said on Monday that a general election triggered by continuing Brexit crisis will provide a “once-in-a-generation chance” for a change of direction in politics.
Corbyn said at a speech in Northamptonshire, that Labour are prepared to do “everything necessary” to prevent a no-deal Brexit.
A general election could change on the scale of 1945 and Corbyn warned that things “cannot go on as they were before.”
The Labour leader said that his party will offer the “real change of direction the country needs” as the UK face greater problems than just crashing out of the EU.
Corbyn told the conference, “Let’s be very clear, we will do everything necessary to stop a disastrous no-deal for which this government has no mandate”.
He added, “Labour believes the decision on how to solve the Brexit crisis must go back to the people.
“And if there is a general election this autumn, Labour will commit to holding a public vote to give voters the final say with credible options on both sides including the option to remain.
“Three years of Tory failure on Brexit have caused opinions to harden to such a degree that I believe no outcome will now have legitimacy without the people’s endorsement.”
He warned that issues such as inequality run “much, much deeper” for the UK despite Brexit being the “framework” for many of the county’s problems.
He said, “A general election triggered by the Tory Brexit crisis will be a crossroads for our country. It will be a once-in-a-generation chance for a real change of direction potentially on the scale of 1945.
“Things cannot go on as they were before. The Conservatives and a very wealthy establishment that they so happily represent failed this country.
“They failed to protect living standards, they have savaged our public services.”
He said there is no definitive date for a general election , but said his party is “ready for it.” Corbyn also hit out at “fake populism and phoney outsiders funded by hedge funds and bankers” using Brexit to gain influence.
He added, “The Tories cannot be trusted to deliver on their quick-fix promises because their first priority, which has now been revealed, is tax cuts for the biggest corporations and richest people in this country.
“We are very clear that we are prepared to raise tax for the very richest and the biggest corporations in order to rebalance our economy and our society and reduce the levels of inequality in Britain.”
He said that Labour would move power into the hands “of the majority” and that “rail, mail, water and the national grid” will be put into public ownership and “not the shareholders.”
Tuition fees would be abolished, he said, “We will create a national education service providing free learning from cradle to grave including free school meals for all primary children, smaller class sizes for five, six and seven-year-olds, no tuition fees at university or college.”
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