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Theresa May has said working with Labour is the only way to deliver Brexit

Apr 7, 2019, 13:12 IST

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  • Britain is currently set to crash out of the EU in five days time.
  • After three of her deals being rejected by the House of Commons, Prime Minister Theresa May has turned to the Labour party.
  • She said in a statement on Saturday night that asking the opposition for help was the only way to deliver Brexit.
  • "We have no choice but to reach out across the House of Commons," she said.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories

LONDON - Working with Labour is the only way to deliver Brexit, according to Theresa May. On Saturday night, the Prime Minister said in a statement that the British people risk letting Brexit "slip through our fingers," and the longer it takes to reach a deal, the greater the risk of not leaving the European Union at all.

"I will not stand for that," she said. "It is essential we deliver what people voted for and to do that we need to get a deal over the line."

May has received criticism for going to Jeremy Corbyn's party after her deal was rejected by MPs three times. In her statement she said there was a "stark" choice of reaching a deal, or no Brexit.

According to the Prime Minister, she did everything in her power to try and reach a deal, but now has to take a "new approach."

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"We have no choice but to reach out across the House of Commons," she said.

"The referendum was not fought along party lines and people I speak to on the doorstep tell me they expect their politicians to work together when the national interest demands it."

Corbyn said he had not noticed "any great change in the government's position," and was waiting to see some major changes to the proposed deal.

"I hope we can reach a decision in parliament this week which will prevent a crashing out," he told the BBC.

Read more: Theresa May's government broke Brexit 'free vote' promise, triggering Conservative MP to resign

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Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab told the Mail Online that talks with Labour has "legitimised" Corbyn, and he feared the decision could damage the Conservative party for "years."

"There is now a danger that Brexit could be lost and that the government could fall - handing the keys to Downing Street to Corbyn," he said.

But while Conservative backbenchers are critical of the decision to open up talks with the opposition, chancellor Philip Hammond said he was "optimistic" about working with Labour to reach an agreement.

Britain is currently set to leave the EU on April 12 if no deal is agreed - that's just five days away.

"My intention is to reach an agreement with my fellow EU leaders that will mean if we can agree a deal here at home we can leave the EU in just six weeks," said May.

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"We can then get on with building a new relationship with our nearest neighbours that will unlock the full potential of Brexit and deliver the brighter future that the British people voted for."

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