Labour does not rule out Remain in Brexit stance
● Shadow Brexit secretary says ‘all options’ remain on the table ● Labour accused of ‘playing games’ over Brexit policy
Labour has not ruled out the UK staying in the European Union, with a significant shift in policy making a reversal of Brexit a real possibility.
Sir Keir Starmer declared “nobody is ruling out Remain as an option” at the Labour party’s annual conference in Liverpool yesterday in a stance backed by leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The shadow Brexit secretary won a lengthy standing ovation from Labour delegates, with Sir Keir vowing the party must have other options to a “destructive Tory Brexit”.
Labour has opened the door to keeping the UK in the EU, with Jeremy Corbyn refusing to say Brexit will definitely happen as the party adopted a new policy on a second referendum on Europe.
In a significant shift that makes a reversal of Brexit a possibility, Sir Keir Starmer confirmed that Labour was not ruling out an option to stay in the EU in a second Brexit vote to “stop a destructive Tory Brexit”.
At the party’s annual conference in Liverpool, the shadow Brexit secretary won a lengthy standing ovation from delegates for saying “we must have other options” if the opposition cannot force a general election over Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal with Brussels.
He risked the anger of party colleagues worried about the impact on Labour’s support in the Brexit-supporting north of England with an unscripted addition to a speech at the start of debate on the policy.
Sir Keir said Labour’s stance “must include campaigning for a public vote”. He said: “It is right that Parliament has the first say, but if we need to break the impasse, our options must include campaigning for a public vote and nobody is ruling out Remain as an option.” In a sign of the party’s discomfort over an issue that divides its membership, Mr Corbyn refused to say in interviews yesterday that Brexit will definitely take place and wouldn’t reveal how he would vote in a second EU referendum.
Asked if that meant Labour was no longer committed to enacting Brexit, Mr Corbyn said: “Our party is determined to protect people’s jobs and living standards and ensure that trade relationship with the EU.
“The Tory Party is trying to do some sweetheart deal with [US president Donald] Trump, which would be very damaging to our economy.”
There has been confusion in Liverpool over Labour’s stance on a second EU referendum after shadow chancellor John Mcdonnell initially ruled out an option to stay in the bloc. The Unite general secretary Len Mccluskey also came out strongly against any bid to stay in the EU, and his deputy warned a new referendum would “reopen the wounds of Brexit”.
Under the terms of the motion approved by delegates yesterday, if Labour cannot force an early general election it will “support all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote”. Sir Keir told the BBC: “There isn’t this difference of opinion between me and John Mcdonnell and the whole Labour Party is united around the motion that is going forward this morning.”
Mr Corbyn backed his Brexit spokesman’s speech, saying: “Those are the words of the motion that was supported by the National Executive and the shadow cabinet and that is what is being voted on in conference.
“Keir put that in because it’s what’s there in the motion. We will challenge this government. If they don’t meet our six tests [for a Brexit deal], we will vote against it and then we will take it from there.”
Labour MP Alison Mcgovern, who has campaigned for her party to back a so-called People’s Vote, said: “When Keir Starmer says Labour must campaign for a public vote with Remain as an option and he gets a standing ovation from our party, you know just how far we’ve come in the past few weeks.”
But Brendan Chilton, the general secretary of the probrexit Labour Leave campaign, warned: “We’re damaging the Labour brand and alienating our supporters.”
Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis said Labour were planning on taking the UK “back to square one on Brexit”.
“In the space of one morning, he has refused to rule out delaying Brexit, refused to confirm Labour would end freedom of movement and opened the door to staying in the EU with a second referendum,” Mr Lewis said. “Labour’s promises on Brexit aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.”
The SNP’S Europe spokesman, Stephen Gethins MP, accused Labour of “playing games” and called on the party to take a clear stand against any Brexit deal that takes the UK out of the EU single market and customs union.
“It’s time for Labour to stop playing games and finally nail its colours to the mast with a genuine alternative to a Toryextreme Brexit,” Mr Gethins said.
“Jeremy Corbyn’s shameless ‘man without a plan’ political posturing is simply not good enough.”