Cabinet Office minister joins PM in ruling out an early general election: ‘I don’t think now is the time’
Cabinet Office minister Sally Jameson has backed the Prime Minister in ruling out an early general election, telling GB News that people want Labour to “get on with the job of governing”.
She said: “I don’t think now is the time for a general election, and frankly, I don’t think the British people would thank us.
“I think what people across the country, including my constituents, want is us to get on with the job of governing, delivering on our plan, whether that’s on devolving more power and resource to regional government, whether that’s on turning our economy around, or whether that’s on tackling rough sleeping, which is a pledge we have built upon today.
“I think these are all the issues people want to see us tackling and getting on with, and not be distracted by a general election. ”
Asked if the Prime Minister has broken his promise not to re-open the Brexit debate, she said: “No, I don’t think so, because later this year the government will be setting out its 10-year plan, and in order to do that, we need to have a conversation about what our relationship with Europe is going to be, and we’re having a summit next month to look at what options are on the table and look to improve the deal we’ve got.
“Because if we’re being honest, the Brexit deal we’ve got is frankly no good, and we can do a lot better for our economy and for our security as well. And so it’s right that we have that conversation. This is not about looking back; it’s about looking to the future and what is our future relationship with the EU going to look like as part of our 10-year plan for the country.”
She added: “We’ve got a new prime minister who’s got an agenda for this country, and we’re going to be setting that out, and whether that’s looking at more public control, whether that’s looking at fiscal devolution and giving more power and resource to our mayors, or whether it’s looking at our relationship with the EU and other trading partners as well, it’s right that we get that sorted, set out a path for this country, so we can turn it around and make sure that we have prosperity everywhere.”
On the prospect of an agreement with the EU on freedom of movement, she said: “I want to wait and see what the options on the table are, and the Prime Minister is going to set that out. Ultimately, what I want is the best deal we can get for this country.
“That’s what has to be the most important thing out of this is what is best for Britain. And so, I think we need to wait and see what’s on the table now, because it’s not the same discussion as 10 years ago. Because we deal with the world as it is, the world as it is today, so let’s see what happens.”
