Keir Starmer says ALL of Boris’s Brexit deal is ‘up for negotiation’
Fears that Sir Keir Starmer will row back on Brexit grew last night as he said ‘everything’ about Britain’s relationship with the EU ‘is going to have to be negotiated’.
The Labour leader hit out at Boris Johnson’s ‘botched’ post-Brexit treaty with Brussels as he insisted he would strike a ‘better’ one if he wins the election.
Labour’s manifesto said the party will not re-join the bloc’s single market, customs union or allow freedom of movement again. However it also pledges to ‘deepen ties’ with Brussels – increasing fears that Sir Keir could renege on some of these Brexit promises.
Sir Keir, who campaigned for a second referendum to reverse Brexit, told LBC: ‘I think with the deal that we’ve got that Boris Johnson negotiated, we got a botched deal and that has had an impact. That’s why what you’ve seen in our manifesto today, as part of our growth plan, is a better deal with the EU.’
Boris Johnson during a general election hustings in December 2019
Labour leader Keir Starmer launched his party’s manifesto yesterday
Sir Keir added that ‘not all roads lead to a relationship’ with Brussels. However, when asked if his ambition went beyond re-negotiating rules around animals and animal products crossing borders, he replied: ‘Everything is going to have to be negotiated.’ In a sign that he wants to do a deal on movement of people, he added that the UK ‘should do whatever we can to make it easy for people to travel on holiday, get into the Continent and back’.
Labour’s manifesto states: ‘We will seek to negotiate a veterinary agreement to prevent unnecessary border checks and help tackle the cost of food; help our touring artists; and secure a mutual recognition agreement for professional qualifications to help open up markets for UK service exporters.’
However striking a veterinary agreement could force Britain into ‘dynamic alignment’ with the EU’s rules on animal health, food safety, and plants – increasing the risk it will have to follow Brussels’ rulebook in other areas.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said: ‘Keir Starmer has confirmed what he’s been hinting at for months – that Labour would once again make the UK a rule-taker from Brussels. He is lining up to betray the Brexit vote, reopening old wounds and achieving his long-held goal of tying the UK back into the EU.’
Matthew Lesh, from the Institute of Economic Affairs, warned that any new agreement could end up handing ‘significant powers back to the EU, with the UK expected to adopt rules and decisions without any input from Parliament’.
