A ‘unity’ government is our last hope of stopping Brexit – and Caroline Lucas is the only MP fit to lead it

Few have the support of the public and political figures alike to make something like this happen. But if we were to put our trust in her hands, we could curb the widening democratic deficit

Ed Davey, a Liberal Democrat leadership contender, has written in The Guardian calling for a government of national unity to “halt Brexit”. It’s a sensible argument, in theory.

A government of national unity could be what finally breaks through the Brexit gridlock. But Davey is wrong about who should lead this government, and on the limits of their policy platform, which he believes should be restricted solely to delivering a referendum.

For a unity government to work, it would need to be led by someone well-liked and trusted within Westminster and with the public. They would need experience working with MPs across party lines. Labour MPs are unlikely to back either a Conservative Remainer or a Liberal Democrat after the coalition’s austerity agenda contributed to the Brexit vote.

Of course, Conservative Remainers are unlikely to vote down their own government, triggering an early general election while Brexit remains unresolved. Many MPs are also concerned about doing anything to put Jeremy Corbyn into Number 10. But if they felt they could pull the plug on the government safe knowing it would not lead to either of those events, they might just do it.

MPs would achieve this by passing a motion of no confidence in the government. Parliament would then have two weeks to find another executive. In this time, MPs could install a cross-party government with the sole aim of holding a second Brexit referendum. If they are unable to form another government, a general election would take it out of their hands.

The leader, whoever that may be, would also need to win the votes of most of the shadow cabinet, so they will need to have avoided publicly clashing with Corbyn. This rules out both of Davey’s preferred options – Hilary Benn or Yvette Cooper. It would have to be someone who has not alienated those within the Remain coalition. And that person is Caroline Lucas.

The Green MP has long been the favoured face of the People’s Vote campaign. She is credited with forging the campaign in the days after the referendum result and has represented its aims in both post-referendum Brexit TV debates. But she has not ignored those who voted to leave in 2016, launching her “Dear Leavers” project to engage with those concerned about our membership of the European Union. She has credibility on both sides of this divide that many others do not.

Lucas also negotiated the successful Liberal Democrats/Green Party alliance in the 2016 Richmond Park by-election. This kick-started the Progressive Alliance movement in 2017. She has experience working with other parties that few could rival.

This would not be without precedent. Iceland’s dominant centre-right Independence Party recently joined a coalition led by the chair of the Left-Green Movement, Katrín Jakobsdóttir. In the election, the Left-Green Movement came second to the Independence Party, but Jakobsdóttir’s own popularity far outstripped that of her party, and the rest of the coalition. Sound familiar?

Davey is also too pessimistic about what this unity government could achieve. It will need to sustain itself for long enough to properly address Brexit, which could take up to 12 months if another referendum were to produce a Remain result. Meanwhile, the government would need to address some of the other major crises facing this country.

Climate change has never been closer to the top of the political agenda. Parliaments and councils across the United Kingdom have been quick to respond and declare a “climate emergency”. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal has made waves across the western world, empowered by Extinction Rebellion and other climate activists. Lucas is the perfect person to spearhead the first government with fighting climate change as a core priority.

Brexit has also highlighted the widening democratic deficit in this country, and therefore democratic reform must also be on the agenda so that the next parliament can regain the trust of the public.

Votes at 16, proportional representation, House of Lords reform, restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and further devolution will all need to be on the agenda. There could also be common ground on rolling back the devastating impact of austerity around the country.

Lucas has the integrity, experience, and trust of the public and other MPs necessary to make a government of national unity happen. Could she soon become prime minister? Stranger things have happened.