Corbyn waves the white flag

Plan to stay in customs union would make us a ‘colony of Brussels’ warns Boris

JEREMY Corbyn was accused of waving the white flag on Brexit last night – and of wanting to turn Britain into a ‘colony’ of Brussels.

It came after the Labour leader unveiled plans to remain in a customs union with the EU after Brexit.

He conceded his proposal would prevent Britain striking trade deals with countries such as the US and China, but said it was a price worth paying.

And in a provocative move that could bring down the Government, Mr Corbyn urged Tory rebels to join him in defying the Prime Minister’s vision of a clean break from Brussels. He called on MPs ‘of all parties’ to ‘put the people’s interests before ideological fantasies’ and support his vision.

But last night, critics lined up to say Mr Corbyn’s plans made ‘little sense’ and would leave Britain’s hands tied so it is unable to take advantage of the opportunities of leaving the EU. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson accused Mr Corbyn of raising a ‘white flag’ on Brexit, tweeting: ‘ Crumbling Corbyn betrays Leave voters – and all because he wants to win a Commons vote. Cynical and deluded.’

He added: ‘Corbyn’s Brexit plan would leave UK a colony of the EU – unable to take back control of our borders or our trade policy. White flag from Labour before talks even begin.’

And Mr Corbyn’s overtures appeared to immediately backfire as Tory MPs lined up to rule out backing his plan. In his speech in Coventry, Mr Corbyn:  Conceded his customs union plan would prevent Britain striking its own trade deals with countries around the world;

 Said the country would still have a say on the agreements done on our behalf by Eurocrats in Brussels, but was unable to explain how;

 Rejected ‘ bogus’ immigration targets as he ruled out putting a reduction in numbers at the heart of his Brexit blueprint;

 Claimed the huge numbers of migrants coming from Europe were not to blame for the suppression of wages;

 Called for state aid rules to be ripped up so a Labour government under him could pour billions of public money into key industries.

Labour’s plan would leave Brussels responsible for negotiating trade deals with countries around the world on behalf of the UK. But Mr Corbyn insisted Britain would still have a say on the agreements, even without a seat around the table of EU member states.

When pushed to explain how this would work and whether the country would get a veto, Mr Corbyn would say only: ‘We want to have a say and an agreement in how they are reached.’

Mr Corbyn last night raised the prospect of Labour MPs voting at the last minute to scupper the final Brexit deal in a bid to force an election. He told ITV News: ‘If the Government has been fundamentally defeated, it has two choices: one is to go back and negotiate something different or the other one is to resign, in which case we’ll have a general election.’

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said: This is a cynical attempt by Labour to try and frustrate the Brexit process and play politics with our country’s future – all the while, betraying millions of Labour voters.’

Matt Kilcoyne, of the Adam Smith Institute, said: ‘Jeremy Corbyn’s latest position on Brexit makes little sense. Corbyn says he doesn’t want the UK to become a rule taker but that is precisely what this proposal will see us end up as.’

Mark Littlewood, of the Institute of Economic Affairs said: ‘Remaining in some form of customs union will make it almost impossible for the UK to make the most of the opportunities Brexit has to offer.’

‘Cynical and deluded’