Thornberry’s plea to seal place in race
Starmer warns of Brexit trick
EMILY Thornberry has made a last-ditch appeal for Labour members to put her on the leadership ballot.
The Shadow Foreign Secretary needs the backing of 33 Constituency Labour Parties or three affiliates, including two unions, by next Friday. So far, she has nine CLPs.
At a hustings in Cardiff yesterday she said: “Will you just get on and do it?”
Rebecca Long-Bailey, Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy have enough nominations to be included.
Emily
BORIS Johnson has been accused of pushing for a “damaging” re-branded no-deal Brexit as he takes a hardline in EU trade talks.
In a speech in London today, Mr Johnson is expected to say: “The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canada’s – or more like Australia’s. In either case, I have no doubt Britain will prosper.”
But Shadow Brexit Secretary and Labour leadership candidate Keir Starmer said: “When Johnson talks about an Australian-style deal, he is actually talking about no-deal.
“His proposals would create huge barriers to trade with Europe, higher prices and less money for public services.
Johnson either doesn’t understand the damage this plan would do, or doesn’t care.”
An “Australia-style’ arrangement only goes beyond no-deal by including a few agreements tacked on to ensure, for example, international flights can continue.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the Government would not match EU rules and standards, adding: “Legislative alignment .... just ain’t happening.” Irish PM Leo Varadkar warned: “Let’s not set such red lines, let’s tone down the nationalistic rhetoric.”
Meanwhile, British diplomats have been told not to sit next to EU counterparts at international summits, a move Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell branded “puerile”.
FEARS Keir Starmer