UK must stay ‘very close’ to EU

wanted a partnership that “retains the benefits of the single market and the customs union” and wanted a new treaty.

Sir Keir told the Andrew Marr programme: “We would start with viable options, staying in a customs union and a single market variant which means full participation in the single market,” adding that it was the only way to achieve no hard border in Northern Ireland.

He went on: “You can’t sweep the customs union and the single market off the table on the one hand and also say you don’t want a hard border in Northern Ireland … You can’t have no hard border if you don’t have alignment.”

Asked if Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal with the EU this week would mean Britain would in perpetuity stay “very, very close” to the single market and the customs union, he said: “Yes, and I think that’s the right thing and I think we should hold her to that because that goes to the heart of the question of what sort of Britain do we want to be. Do we see Europe as our major trading partner in the future or do we want to rip ourselves apart from that?”

Asked if Britain would have to carry on paying some money in, he said: “Norway pays money in, they do it actually on a voluntary basis … there may have to be payments, that’s to be negotiated.”

On freedom of movement, he said: “That would have to be negotiated but the end of free movement doesn’t mean no movement.

“Of course we would want people to come from the EU to work here, we would want people who are here to go and work in the EU, the basis of that would have to be negotiated.”

Asked if this would mean easy movement if not free, he replied: “Yes, of course”.

Speaking about regulations and standards, Sir Keir said that if the UK wanted the benefits of the single market and the customs union “you’ve got to stay on the same level playing field”.

He said Labour wasn’t calling for a second referendum.