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UK could remain in single market after Brexit, says Labour MP Labour keen to remain in single market post-Brexit, says Keir Starmer
(35 minutes later)
The shadow trade secretary, Barry Gardiner, has raised the possibility of the UK remaining in the EU’s single market after Brexit, taking a seemingly different position on the issue to his leader and shadow chancellor. Labour would like the possibility of continued membership of the single market to be one of the starting points of negotiations to leave the EU, the party’s shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, has said.
While he conceded this would be difficult to achieve while also imposing restrictions on the free movement of people, Starmer criticised the government for pre-emptively ruling out single market membership – even though this is what his own leader has done.
Asked on Sunday whether he was clear that Brexit would mean an end to single market membership, Jeremy Corbyn told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show: “Absolutely.”Asked on Sunday whether he was clear that Brexit would mean an end to single market membership, Jeremy Corbyn told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show: “Absolutely.”
He added: “Where I frame it is, we want tariff-free access to the European market, we also want to maintain a very important university and research collaboration in Europe, and there’s a whole host of European agencies – Euratom, security, environment – which we wish to be part of.”
Speaking later on ITV’s Peston on Sunday, John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said of single market membership: “I can’t see it even being on the table in the negotiations, I don’t think it’s feasible.”Speaking later on ITV’s Peston on Sunday, John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said of single market membership: “I can’t see it even being on the table in the negotiations, I don’t think it’s feasible.”
Asked to confirm this by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday, Gardiner was more circumspect. But asked about this on Monday, Starmer told BBC Radio 4’s The World at One he would like to see a “different tone and approach” to talks with the EU, including not pre-emptively ruling out continued single market membership.
“What we’ve said is that we need those benefits, and whether they’re achieved through reformed membership of the the single market and the customs union, or through a new, bespoke trading arrangement, is actually secondary to achieving the benefits.” “What we’ve criticised the government for is simply sweeping options off the table before they even started the negotiations,” he said. “What David Davis said this morning is that it’s not that the government doesn’t want membership of the single market, it’s that they’ve been told that you can’t have that with freedom of movement.
Gardiner continued: “It’s an open question as to what we can get. What we criticised [Theresa May] for doing is taking membership of the single market off the table right from the beginning. “It seems to me that would be a good place to start discussions, start negotiations, rather than simply taking it off the table.”
“It’s quite ironic that she was the one who said you had to take certain things off the table, and she said we should not take off the table a no-deal outcome, which seemed crazy to most people. Starmer’s comments, following a similar approach taken by the shadow trade secretary, Barry Gardiner, illustrate the continued tensions within Labour as it seeks to differentiate its stance from the Conservatives, without alienating Brexit-supporting voters.
“But she has taken off the table membership of the single market. We’ve said let’s look at that and see if it can be reformed. But the key thing is not to get hung up on the membership of the single market, but to be assured of the benefits that it can bring for our economy and for our jobs.” Asked whether he was seeking an unrealistic “cake and eat it” approach, Starmer said he was “not pretending that’s going to be easy”.
Starmer said: “These are difficult things to negotiate. Sometimes I think that in the campaign we got far too down in the weeds of the difference between access, full access and membership. Let’s focus on what the real outcomes are.”
He added: “It can be done. I’m confident it can be done. We need to send a message to our EU partners that we want collaboration, we want cooperation, and we’re going to do this in a grown-up, mature way.”
While full freedom of movement would need to go, it could potentially be maintained for families or those with jobs, Starmer suggested. He said: “We could think differently. But we’ve got to get around the table and have that discussion.
“What the government’s said is: it’s simply too hard, sweep all the options off the table. In so doing it has created this extreme form of Brexit, which has now been rejected by the electorate.”
Speaking earlier, Gardiner took a similar tone. Asked about the single market, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “What we’ve said is that we need those benefits, and whether they’re achieved through reformed membership of the single market and the customs union, or through a new, bespoke trading arrangement, is actually secondary to achieving the benefits.
“It’s an open question as to what we can get. What we criticised [Theresa May] for doing is taking membership of the single market off the table right from the beginning.
“It’s quite ironic that she was the one who said you had to take certain things off the table, and she said we should not take off the table a no-deal outcome, which seemed crazy to most people.”
Asked about the seeming difference between his view and that of Corbyn and McDonnell, Gardiner told BBC2’s Daily Politics that he thought continued membership of the single market was “highly unlikely” but could not be discounted.Asked about the seeming difference between his view and that of Corbyn and McDonnell, Gardiner told BBC2’s Daily Politics that he thought continued membership of the single market was “highly unlikely” but could not be discounted.
“We’ve been absolutely clear on this – we want those benefits. Actually, the issue of how we get there is secondary,” he said.“We’ve been absolutely clear on this – we want those benefits. Actually, the issue of how we get there is secondary,” he said.
However, Gardiner continued, the only way to keep membership while delivering a Brexit which was palatable to voters would be if the EU allowed it to happen without adhering to the free movement of people, one of the so-called four freedoms along with goods, services and capital. However, Gardiner continued, the only way to keep membership while delivering a Brexit palatable to voters would be if the EU allowed it to happen without adhering to the free movement of people, one of the four freedoms along with goods, services and capital.
Of such a deal, Gardiner said: “The government has ruled that out. We’ve said it’s highly unlikely, for all the reasons that we’ve just talked about in terms of the four freedoms.Of such a deal, Gardiner said: “The government has ruled that out. We’ve said it’s highly unlikely, for all the reasons that we’ve just talked about in terms of the four freedoms.
The EU have made it absolutely clear that they will not give membership of the internal market unless it is accompanied by the four freedoms. But what we’re saying is, if they want to offer that, would we turn it down?” “The EU have made it absolutely clear that they will not give membership of the internal market unless it is accompanied by the four freedoms. But what we’re saying is, if they want to offer that, would we turn it down?”
Labour’s seemingly mixed position on this cuts to the centre of wider tensions over its Brexit policy, with some senior MPs, including the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, calling for greater flexibility.
Asked whether Labour might collaborate in parliament with May’s government over Brexit-related issues, Gardiner indicated he did not foresee anything beyond what already happened.
Asked about the idea of a cross-party committee on the issue, Gardiner said: “There is such a committee – it’s called the Brexit select committee, and it’s actually chaired by [the Labour MP] Hilary Benn. We have been calling for parliament to have a role in this, for there to be, at the end of the process, a vote for parliament.”