Comedian Matt Forde: seeing the funny side of Brexit

Following a completely sold-out and critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, star of Unspun Matt Forde is set to embark on a nationwide tour with stand-up show Brexit Through The Gift Shop.

He spoke to Alex Spencer the day after the dramatic commons defeat of Theresa May’s Brexit bill and said politics was moving so fast he was changing his act every night.

“I’m constantly rewriting but I quite enjoy that because it keeps me on my toes and the situation changes so fast that the material would date quite quickly if I didn’t change it,” explained Matt.

There’s plenty of material to choose from. “Even in the last few weeks there have been ministers doing deals with shipping companies that didn’t have any ships and a Labour MP getting convicted and comparing themselves to Moses,” he said.

“On the one hand, some of the detail is hilarious. But it is quite terrifying in terms of what the effects could be on the country, the economy society. I do try to see the lighter side of it. I don’t think it is a Leave or Remain thing - regardless of which way you voted the way it has been handled has been a complete disaster.”

A former advisor to the Labour Party, Matt has hosted four series of Unspun on Dave. The topical political comedy chat received a nomination for the Best Entertainment Programme Broadcast Digital Award this year, following a nomination for the same award last year. In the lead up to the 2017 General Election, Matt was a regular guest on the One Show, commenting on the best and most bizarre moments of the campaign trail.

“We've been forced to go through a kind of pantomime where Theresa May is putting votes down that she knew she would lose,” said Matt.

“Brexit has normalised some very off political behaviour. She appointed Brexit secretaries she always knew would resign. Brexit secretaries took the job knowing they would resign. Brexit has put chaos into the heart of politics. If you think you are going to lose a vote on the floor of the house of commons usually the sensible thing is not to put the vote.

“Part of the problem is that wherever you look all the people who could conceivably become Prime minister in the next year or so will all lead to disastrous consequences for the UK. There doesn’t seem to be a viable reasonable choice.

Rees Mogg and boris would be hard Brexit, no deal, low tax economy and rising inequality and Britain isolated. Britain would become a Trumpesque nation.”

Meanwhile: “Corbyn is a complete break with Labour tradition, he is not internationalist, he doesn’t believe in Nato, he doesn’t believe in the EU. His politics aren’t particularly pleasant - they are authoritarian. I find it deeply disturbing.

“There doesn’t seem to be a positive route out of this mess at the moment. ”

So could Matt do a better job if he were in charge? “Absolutely not,” he laughed. “That would be the worst possible thing. I would basically nationalise Nottingham Forest football club and pump all our money into getting us into the Premier League

I would be a disastrous prime minister, but pasties would be cheap - even the vegan ones.”

Matt Forde is coming to Cambridge Junction on Thursday, March 14 at 8pm. Tickets are £17 from junction.co.uk or 01223 511 511.