COMMENT

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been spared an embarrassing fight over the European Union at his party’s conference after coming under pressure from his own side to soften his Brexit policy.

Dozens of senior party figures called for a Labour government to keep the UK in the EU single market and customs union on the first day of conference in Brighton, threatening to re-open divides that crippled the party before the general election.

But a campaign by Mr Corbyn’s supporters kept Brexit out of the top eight priorities for debate, meaning no votes will be held on the UK’S withdrawal from the EU during the four-day gathering.

The decision will come as a relief to the Labour leader, who is resisting pressure from europhiles in the party and could have lost a divisive clash over Brexit. Polls suggest twothirds of the Labour membership want a “soft Brexit” that keeps the UK tied to the EU’S free trade bloc.

But reacting on social media, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon accused Labour of “an abdication of responsibility”.

Mr Corbyn claimed yesterday that membership of the single market could stop him from implementing key policies,

“We need to look at the terms of any trade relationship … we have to be quite careful about the powers we need as national governments”

JEREMY CORBYN