The people need final say on the Brexit deal

“We are heading into a serious political crisis.”

For all the comments, clashes and accusations that are going between politicians and parties over Brexit, Lord Adonis put it as simply as that on a visit to Shrewsbury.

The former transport secretary was meeting more than 300 people attending Open Britain Shrewsbury’s event, with members campaigning for a people’s vote on the final Brexit deal.

The groups have become prominent around the country now as the date for leaving the EU becomes ever closer.

Lord Adonis is one of those who wants that final say, and he believes the people of Shropshire and the UK deserve it. He is touring the country telling anyone who will listen. On Sunday he will be with other Labour pro-Europe activists marching on the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

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Adonis joins People’s Vote rally in Shrewsbury - with video

He said: “It is like when you buy a house and someone tells you it is wonderful. But when you get a survey on it you realise it has problems such as rot and damp and other things. David Davies said democracy isn’t democracy if people can’t change their mind, but we aren’t asking people to change their mind. What we want is a decision, a people’s vote on the final deal.

“People were able to make a judgement on claims of an extra £350 million a week, so we feel people, not politicians, should have a say on this.

“This is going to affect jobs here in Shropshire, and put people’s future’s in jeopardy – and they deserve a vote.”

Lord Adonis, who is a former journalist and also once held the position of education minister, met with members young and old who have been long campaigning for a people’s vote.

Open Britain Shrewsbury began over a conversation in a pub and has now grown into a group that is joining with others around the country in a push to have their say.

It has welcomed a number of young members to the group, and Lord Adonis believes younger people would have a key role if there was to be a people’s vote. He added: “

People who were not able to vote last time deserve to have their say because it is their future and their careers.”

Lord Adonis spoke to the crowd in Shrewsbury about pushing for a people’s vote, while answering questions from people who have concerns and queries. The Open Britain group, which now has about 300 members, has been campaigning around the town. It is holding more events and has had other speakers giving their views on a prospective people’s vote.

The movement comes as the Labour Party appeared emboldened following the party conference in Liverpool, in which there was talk of general strike action and of taking power come an early general election.

One avenue Lord Adonis didn’t condone was a general strike to bring down the government if there isn’t a general election, which was called for by Labour MP Laura Smith at a conference fringe event this week. Other Labour officials said she got carried away and Lord Adonis added: “A general strike isn’t the way to go, people want to work harder and not strike.”

Before giving his talk to the crowd at Shrewsbury College, the Labour peer laid down a challenge to two of the county’s remainers.

Following Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski’s controversial comments about citrus fruit tariffs, Lord Adonis said he would return to the town to debate Brexit and tariffs with him.

And he also said he would return to debate with North Shropshire MP and former Northern Ireland minister Owen Paterson over the controversial Irish border issues.

He added: “I understand that Daniel Kawczynski has made a bit of a lemon out of himself and I would be open to returning to debate the big issues of Brexit with him.

“Import tariffs and customs is a big issue and I challenge him to a debate on that. And the other MP is Owen Paterson and I would be very keen to debate with Northern Ireland issue with him.”

Prior to the Wednesday talk, Lord Adonis had travelled down from Liverpool where he attended the Labour conference.

And he had his say on the anti-Semitism row that has engulfed Labour in recent months.

He said it had no place in politics so many years after the Second World War, adding: “It wasn’t handled in the best way possible by the leadership. We should have signed the definition of anti-Semitism. Now the leadership is handling it better and we need to root any anti-Semitism out of the party.

“It is 80 years since the Second World War and there is no place for it in political parties.”