Every day there is a Brexit story and with meetings and speeches coming thick and fast, it feels like it will never end, but until now the detail has been a little thin on the ground from both the government and Labour. But in a speech on Monday, Jeremy Corbyn laid out the Labour’s position on an economy first Brexit, with Theresa May set to make a speech on Friday and Liam Fox later today. What is Labour’s plan outlined by Jeremy Corbyn?
How does it contrast to Theresa May’s after her dubbed ‘war cabinet’ met at Chequers last Thursday to come to an agreement over the government’s plans for Brexit?
This came after 62 hard-line Conservative leavers sent a letter outlining their idea for a clean break
What could a Labour Brexit mean?
Jeremy Corbyn outlined that it was key to put jobs and the economy first over Brexit, protecting people’s jobs and living standards. The plan would see Britain maintain a Customs Union with the EU and prevent a hard border in Ireland and protect the Good Friday Agreement. He further stressed that freedom of movement will end, and Britain will leave the single market. He also stated that Labour would create fair rules on migration, designing a policy around the needs of the economy and reasonable management of migration.
He further added that Labour would protect existing EU rights, give struggling firms state aid, nationalise industry and stop the ‘posting’ of cheaper workers from overseas.
There was also a suggestion that Britain would contribute to Brussel’s budget so that it could remain in schemes such as Euratom, the regulation of nuclear materials. This is rather than paying more to create and design new laws. He did confirm that Britain would leave the single market, but this would free Britain from EU rules on state aid and competition
Cabinet agreement at Chequers?
Last week senior members of Theresa May’s cabinet came to an agreement at a meeting at Chequers on Thursday over the plans for Brexit, although the meeting has since been labelled a mess.
The agreement is that the government will pursue Britain leaving the customs union but matching EU rules in specific sectors in a bid to gain frictionless trade. Whilst there is a little bit more detail, there does seem to be a gaping hole in what Brexit will look like.
Donald Tusk was blunt during a press conference after he said he was “glad” that there was more detail but went on to say that the position reported by the papers was “pure illusion”.
Jeremy Hunt, who didn’t attend the meeting, claims that it is possible to achieve what the government has set out to achieve. Whilst it is good that a position seems to be forming, this begs the question, why has it taken this long to get to this point?
There isn’t too much time and the government has been plagued with infighting over Brexit, with leavers sending demands in letters, remainers trying to keep Britain in the single market and customs union along with even voting with Labour on certain issues. Those who campaigned for leaving were given top cabinet positions to help iron out their vision yet failed to come up with a coherent plant between them and usually disagreeing with each other.
So far, the whole thing has been a mess, but we can hope that things do improve now that there is at least some detail to build upon.
Adding further insult to division, a former top government trade official has compared Brexit to giving up a 3-course meal for a packet of crisps. Sir Martin Donnelly has warned that to seek equal access to EU trade agreements without obeying the rules will not happen and he said that it is something for the “fairy godmother”. Donnelly formerly worked in the Department for International Trade and this was response to Liam Fox’s insistence that Britain will leave the customs union and is expected to continue to say this in a speech later today.
