Labour: Britain must accept ‘easy migration’ from EU

BRITAIN should accept ‘ easy migration’ from Europe, swallow EU laws and carry on paying billions to Brussels after Brexit, Labour frontbencher Sir Keir Starmer suggested last night.

After months of chaos and conflicting statements about the party’s position, the Brexit spokesman suggested the concessions were the necessary price for a trade deal.

He also refused to rule out offering voters a second referendum on whether Britain should leave at all.

Sir Keir was immediately accused of trying to ‘betray’ voters by failing to honour the referendum result. Brexit Secretary David Davis said the Labour MP would ‘take us back to square one’ and fail to get back control of Britain’s laws, borders and money.

Mr Davis said: ‘Keir Starmer could not have been clearer about what the consequences of Labour’s chaotic approach to Brexit would be.

‘A Labour Brexit would mean billions of pounds going to the EU in perpetuity, the UK being forced to obey rules over which we have no say and zero control over our borders. A Labour Brexit would betray voters and leave this country in the worst possible position.’

Appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show yesterday, Sir Keir said Britain should ‘stay aligned’ to the EU after Brexit to preserve the benefits of the single market and customs union.

He indicated that the UK could mimic Norway’s arrangement with the EU, which involves accepting single market rules and paying a contribution to EU coffers.

The House of Commons library estimates that Norway pays, per capita, about 80 per cent of the UK’s contribution. That could leave Britain with an annual bill of about £8 billion. Sir Keir said staying close to the single market and customs union was necessary to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland.

The Labour frontbencher said freedom of movement rules would ‘have to be negotiated’, but added: ‘The end of free movement doesn’t mean no movement.

‘Of course we would want people to come from the European Union 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 said: ‘Yes, of course.’