Labour accused of betrayal over bid to keep UK tied to EU
LABOUR was last night accused of betraying Brexit voters after senior figures pledged to fight to keep Britain tied to the EU’s single market.
In a fresh policy U-turn ahead of next week’s crunch Commons votes on Theresa May’s Brexit plans, Labour frontbenchers yesterday tabled a string of amendments to the Government’s flagship departure legislation.
Labour sources said the amendments to the Government’s EU (Withdrawal) Bill were to try to make Britain “adopt the Norway model” of EU membership.
But leading Brexit supporters last night rubbished the move as a fresh attempt to keep Britain tied to Brussels for ever.
Senior Tory MP Jacob ReesMogg, chairman of the backbench European Research Group, said the Labour proposals would turn the UK into a “vassal state” forced to accept rules from Brussels without a voice in EU policy.
Mr Rees-Mogg said: “The Norway model is the vassal state, not Brexit, and the Labour Party will need to answer to its many Leave voters.”
Andrew Bridgen, another senior Tory MP, said: “Labour are betraying their own manifesto pledge, betraying the country and betraying millions of Labour voters who backed leaving the EU.”
Labour’s proposals were designed to toughen up an amendment passed by the House of Lords seeking to keep Britain closely tied to the EU’s single market after Brexit.
MPs will vote on the Labour proposals next Tuesday, during a series of Commons votes as the Government attempts to overturn amendments passed by the House of Lords.
Many Labour MPs want Britain to remain a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) after the country quits the EU. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are members of the EEA without being members of the EU.
Labour’s amendments seek to give the UK “full access to the internal market of the European Union, underpinned by shared institutions and regulations, with no new impediments to trade, and common rights, standards and protections as a minimum”.
Shadow EU Exit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: “Labour will only accept a Brexit deal that delivers the benefits of the single market, and protects jobs and living standards.
“Unlike the Tories, Labour will not sacrifice jobs and the economy in the pursuit of a reckless and extreme interpretation of the referendum result.
“Existing single market agreements that the EU has negotiated with third countries, including Norway, are bespoke deals negotiated with the EU to serve the best interests of those countries.”
But a senior Tory source said: “Jeremy Corbyn needs to make his mind up. If he is talking about wanting to stay in the single market, Britain cannot negotiate new trade deals with the rest of the world.”