Queen Sends Coded Brexit Message to Bickering MPs

It's the monarch's second Brexit intervention in 5 weeks
By Richard Kemeny,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 25, 2019 8:47 AM CST
Queen Sends Coded Brexit Message to Bickering MPs
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at the children's charity, Coram, in London, Wednesday Dec. 5, 2018.   (Toby Melville / Pool via AP)

The queen's calming voice has been heard over the stormy seas of the Brexit process, calling on MPs to stop bickering. Without explicitly mentioning Brexit, at a speech to her local Women's Institute, the 92-year-old Elizabeth urged lawmakers to "seek common ground," reports Reuters. The date set by law for the UK to leave the EU is March 29th, and with that deadline looming, the country is stuck in a deep political crisis. Politicians are unable to decide how, or even whether, to exit the European Union. Elizabeth's words were widely taken as what Reuters calls a "secretly coded message." "I for one prefer the tried and tested recipes, like speaking well of each other and respecting different points of view; coming together to seek out the common ground; and never losing sight of the bigger picture," the queen said.

MPs are set to vote again next week, and unless they can agree on a way forward, the UK will leave the EU with no deal. This is the second time in five weeks that the queen has "dipped a rhetorical toe in the raging waters of the Brexit debate," per the BBC. The speech had echoes of one she gave at Christmas, reports the Guardian. "Even with the most deeply held differences, treating the other person with respect and as a fellow human being is always a good first step towards greater understanding," she said then. Even without mentioning Brexit, the BBC says it has been "crystal clear" what she is talking about. Many ministers praised the speech, with several Conservative MPs taking to Twitter to express support for the queen's words. (More Queen Elizabeth II stories.)

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