LABOUR SPLIT WIDENS OVER MIGRANTS
Shadow Brexit secretary’s free movement bombshell
LABOUR risked a fresh split on immigration after a speech by shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer.
He insisted that changes to European Union free movement rules must form part of the negotiations for quitting the bloc.
Sir Keir acknowledged that scrapping the cherished EU principle of free movement of labour would make it harder to maintain tariff-free access to the prized single market.
But he said the issue could not be ignored if the bitter divides caused by the EU referendum campaign are to be healed.
In his speech in London, Sir Keir said: “No comprehensive approach to Brexit or response to the referendum result can ignore the issue of freedom of movement.”
Promising a “bold and ambitious” response, Sir Keir said the rules must change.
“The status quo is not an option,” he said. “Labour recognises that without the hard work and skill of migrants our public services, our businesses and our economy would suffer.
“But we have also always been the party that values strong, cohesive communities.
“It was striking that the referendum results showed the areas in the country with the highest levels of immigration voted most strongly to Remain.
“But the areas with the highest pace of change voted most strongly to Leave.
“That tells me that the British people are open and tolerant – but that they also expect change to be managed, rather than simply allowing the free market to rip through communities.”
Sir Keir acknowledged that demanding reforms to free movement rules would make securing single market access harder, because the EU regards them as indivisible.
Fight
“This is not to pretend that arguing for changes to freedom of movement will not make a deal on single market access harder. It will.”
He added: “But in the negotiations to come, it is incumbent on the Government to fight for the fullest possible market access and reasonable management of migration.”
His comments came just days after shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, who speaks for Labour on immigration, said the UK could not “dump” free movement and stay in the single market.
She said: “Access to the single market and freedom of movement are inextricably linked.
“It would be wrong – and the Labour Party has said this over and over again – it would be wrong to put the economy anything other than first.”