Commissioner’s views make sense on Brexit

EU AGRICULTURE Commissioner Phil Hogan was one of the few in the Brussels executive deemed capable of campaigning on the ground against Brexit in Britain in spring and summer 2016. He went about agricultural shows in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland arguing in a low-key, but frank fashion that the EU was good for farmers.

Other commissioners were warned to stay at home so as not to make things worse. But Mr Hogan’s interventions were deemed to be well-judged and helpful, though not enough to prevent the ‘Leave’ side from winning.

Now Mr Hogan has publicly called on the British prime minister to dial down the worst aspects of Brexit by at least keeping the United Kingdom inside the EU customs union. That would mean no tariffs or quotas for trade between Britain and the other EU member states and would be a boon for trade and employment.

Europhobes in Britain will predictably castigate Mr Hogan’s intervention. But even a quick glance at how he has couched his comments will show that such reactions are unjustified.

The Irish commissioner lays most stress on the needs of British trade and continuing employment. His view is widely held across the United Kingdom and is now the stance adopted by the opposition British Labour Party. Mr Hogan is also justified in arguing that staying inside the customs union would also benefit Ireland north and south as it would help manage the Border issue.

Theresa May is under huge pressure from the hard-line ‘Leave’ advocates. Leaving the customs union, and the border-free single market, have been central to her stance on Brexit as articulated in her landmark speech on the issue in October of last year.