Labour’s Brexit stance doesn’t go far enough

To describe Labour’s position on Brexit as inconsistent would be to assign it a coherence that it does not merit. At various times in the past year, the party leadership has given the impression that it both supported leaving the single market and the customs union and staying in them. Whenever one senior figure has emphasised the former, another has popped up to say the opposite. Now the shadow cabinet has reportedly agreed a settled position that Remainers have hailed as a “game changer”, but which in essence is very similar to the policy being pursued by the Government.

Labour wants to retain the current trading relationship with the EU for a transitional period, while also curbing immigration. This would involve staying in a customs union and observing the rules of the single market for a period of three or four years. The Government seeks something similar, but on a bespoke basis.

What is still not clear is whether this is a position that Labour proposes should continue after the transition period that Sir Keir Starmer, the party’s shadow Brexit secretary, said should be “as short as possible but as long as necessary”. What does that mean? Moreover, the party’s vision for the future of the country post-brexit is no more evident today than it has been for the past 12 months. What would Labour suggest should happen, for instance, if the deal on offer is considered unacceptable to the UK? Is it Labour’s position now that we stay in the single market come what may?

Labour MPS overwhelmingly voted for triggering Article 50, and did so on the basis that the UK would leave both the single market and the customs union. Both parties now agree that there should be a transition period before that happens, though there are differences – including in the Cabinet – over how long that would last. But what we are not hearing from Labour is what happens next.

Talks are due to get under way again this week, with Britain anxious to get on to the next stages. As Peter Foster, our Europe Editor, reports today, there is pressure on the Commission negotiators to move the process on to trade by October, rather than wait for a final deal on the amount to be paid by the UK as a price for leaving.

If Labour has the interests of the country at heart, it should throw its support behind the Government’s efforts to begin serious talks about the UK’S post-brexit future, rather than cause fresh confusion over Britain’s intentions.