Free movement may continue, says Corbyn

FREE movement of people between Britain and the EU could continue after Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn has said, in an apparent relaxation of Labour’s policy.

The Labour leader said freedom of movement would be “open for negotiation” if he were in charge of determining the UK’S relationship with the EU.

During an interview on The Andrew Marr Show on the BBC, Mr Corbyn appeared to move away from Labour’s 2017 election manifesto, which stated: “Freedom of movement will end when we leave the European Union.”

Asked yesterday why he was against freedom of movement, Mr Corbyn said: “I’m not staunchly against freedom of movement. Our manifesto said the European system would not apply if you’re not in the EU – but I quite clearly recognise there has to be a lot of movement of workers.

“Ask any company in manufacturing

‘I’m not staunchly against freedom of movement. I clearly recognise there has to be movement of workers’

or any other sector how much they need and rely on workers from Europe and indeed the other way around.”

Freedom of movement would be “open for negotiation … between Europe and this country if we’re a nonmember of the EU”, Mr Corbyn added.

Asked to clarify if Labour’s slogan for the European elections was “Vote Labour, get Brexit”, Mr Corbyn said: “I think what would be a fair assessment would be to say Vote Labour, challenge austerity and guarantee living standards for the future, not a no-deal exit from the EU, which is all that’s being offered by the Tory Right.”

The Opposition leader said that a second referendum should be on the table, adding that MPS would respond to what happened in Parliament when the Government presented its Withdrawal Agreement Bill next month.

Talks between the Conservatives and Labour to try to break the Brexit deadlock collapsed last week, with Mr Corbyn saying the Government “hasn’t changed its red lines”.