Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, the Conservative Home Office minister was confronted by Piers Morgan on her 2016 pro-Remain Brexit campaign beliefs. Prior to the referendum, Ms Atkins claimed staying in the EU would mean “more jobs, lower prices and greater security”. But speaking to Piers Morgan today she admitted a good Brexit deal would deliver exactly the same things.
Mr Morgan said: “Two years ago you told us all when you were encoring us to vote Remain that staying in the EU would mean more jobs, lower prices and greater security.
“Now you’re telling us the complete opposite.
“Now you’re telling us that Brexit would mean more jobs, lower prices and greater security.
“So I put it to you that given you yourself clearly have actually no idea which one of these two things would be beneficial to this country, why should we trust any politicians like you to deliver anything beneficial to this country?”
The Tory MP replied she accepted to have been on the “losing side of the argument” and to want to keep the Government’s promise to deliver on the referendum result.
She said: “I was on the losing side of the argument, I’ve accepted that.
“And I said that I would honour the result of the referendum.”
The ITV host branded the admission a “shameless U-turn” on Twitter after the interview.
He wrote: “Takes a special kind of brass neck to perform so shameless a U-turn about such a major issue.”
Theresa May is expected to reveal her Brexit plan B to MPs in Parliament later today.
After the crushing defeat of her deal last week, the Prime Minister is unwilling to budge on her key demands and will be explaining how she intends to proceed in both oral and written statements to the House of Commons.
She will also table a “neutral” motion to be debated and voted on – along with any amendments tabled by MPs – on Tuesday, January 29.
This week will also see Mrs May reaching out to MPs, business leaders and trade unionists in an attempt to find a way forward, Government sources have confirmed.
