John McDonnell Quotes

We will be cut off from our biggest trading partner. We will be cut off from the skills and contribution that EU nationals have made to our economy and society.

The values of Catholicism are the inherent values of the Labour Party and the inherent values of socialism...

My fear is that if we did have another referendum, we might get the same or similar result and the country will still be divided. Somehow we have got to try and bring the country back together again.

Therefore now in the national interest we have got to come together and secure a compromise. If we can't do that, well yes, we have to go back to the people.

It's about time we started honouring those people involved in the armed struggle. It was the bombs and bullets and sacrifice made by the likes of Bobby Sands that brought Britain to the negotiating table. The peace we have now is due to the action of the IRA.

That has been our objective since immediately after the referendum. The structures - whether we are in or out - are a secondary matter. We are not ruling anything out but what we are saying is that we are the fifth largest economy in the world and we have a special status in both our relationship with the EU and the rest of the globe and we feel we can get a deal that achieves tariff-free access.

We voted for the implementation of Article 50 because we respect the referendum result. But we cannot have this situation where government becomes unaccountable on the implementation of one of the most important decisions for a generation.

I was up in Liverpool a fortnight ago where Alec McFadden, one of our organisers, launched the Sack Esther McVey Day, on her birthday. There was a whole group in the audience that completely kicked off quite critical of the whole concept, because they were arguing "Why are we sacking her? Why aren’t we lynching the bastard?"

We have to respect the decision that was made in the referendum ... otherwise, to be frank, we undermine all confidence in our democratic process.

I'd like them to vote Remain, but that's part of the debate we've got to have

My view is that you'd put the deal to the people, but you'd have to also have the option of the status quo. Deep in my heart, I'm still a Remainer, but I've got to try and bring together effectively what is a British compromise.

If the government says 'well a customs union for a couple of years or maybe customs union until we decide there won't be one,' well actually, that doesn't give the stability for investment for anyone

There are enough sensible people in the House of Commons to say 'this cannot happen, we cannot damage our country in this way'.

We should not pretend the referendum result can be undone.

I think people out there in the real world, our constituents, just want us to get on with the job of getting the best deal possible for them