Islam Times - UK government accused of offering “cash for votes” over Brexit deal

Islam Times - A senior member of the UK opposition Labour Party has accused government of Prime Minister Theresa May of trying to buy votes of members of parliament as it struggles to secure a crucial European Union divorce agreement.

John McDonnell, the second in command in the ranks of the Labour, said on Saturday that members of the party will not be “bribed” into supporting May's controversial Brexit deal in exchange for funding for their constituencies.

McDonnell said offering investment for constituencies where most of people have voted to leave the EU in the 2016 Brexit referendum was a “pork-barrel politics” and “dangerous for our democracy” if it had been done to buy the vote of the MPs for government’s Brexit deal.

“Don't expect us to be bought and bribed in this way - that's a form of corrupt politics that we don't want to be introduced into our political system,” said the senior MP on a visit to Stoke-on-Trent.

The comments came after reports suggested May’s government could increase investment in Leave-voting constituencies to secure their MP’s vote for her Brexit deal less than two months before Britain is planned to leave the EU.

May faced a crushing defeat on January 15 in the House of Commons over the draft Brexit deal she had signed with the EU last year.
The Commons then allowed her to try to gain concessions from the EU on a controversial clause in the deal on the future of the Irish border so that the agreement could become more palatable for the parliament.

However, many fear May could lose a final vote on the revised version of the Brexit deal, if such deal is agreed with the EU, making it highly possible for Britain to leave the bloc on March 29 in a disorderly manner.

May’s spokesman on Saturday rejected reports about government’s attempt to buy the vote of Labour MPs in predominantly Leave-supporting constituencies, saying any investment to tackle inequality could not be called "cash for votes".