(Bloomberg) — Britons risk dying because of Brexit, Jo Swinson will say in her first conference speech as Liberal Democrat Party leader on Tuesday, as the party steps up its efforts to reverse the result of the 2016 referendum.
“There is no Brexit that will be good for our country,” Swinson will say, according to excerpts of her speech emailed by her office. “Brexit will put lives at risk. In the event of a no-deal Brexit, doctors are worried about the impact that delays at borders will have on the supply of time-sensitive radio-pharmaceuticals. That’s cancer patients waiting longer for scans and treatments as a direct consequence of government policy.”
The party sealed a change in policy on Sunday by confirming it will campaign to halt Brexit altogether in any general election. Buoyed by polls showing support at about 20% nationwide, the Lib Dems are seeking to capitalize on the main opposition Labour Party’s nuanced Brexit policies, and win over disgruntled Remain voters from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives.
Swinson will hit out at Johnson’s acceleration of preparations for a no-deal Brexit, saying that “planning for no-deal is like planning to burn your house down. You might have insurance, but you’re still going to lose all your stuff.”
She’ll point to the economic damage already done by the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, flagging job losses and reduced investment from the automakers Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Nissan. “And more, if we leave,” she will say.
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