Corbyn ducks blame for possible Brexit amid MPs’ criticism
JEREMY CORBYN insisted he will not take the blame if Britain leaves the European Union despite accusations from his own MPs that he has failed to do enough to support the campaign.
The Labour leader, a lifelong Eurosceptic, admitted “there may well be” a vote to leave the EU and said that “whatever the result, we’ve got to work with it”.
It came as Len McCluskey, the head of the Unite Union, said EU immigration has been a “gigantic experiment” which has harmed British workers. In comments that will be seized upon by the Leave campaign, he said he understood why Labour voters are concerned about EU immigration. In an article for The Guard
ian, Mr McCluskey said: “In the last 10 years, there has been a gigantic experiment at the expense of ordinary workers. Countries with vast historical differences in wage rates and living standards have been brought together in a common labour market.”
Mr Corbyn also sharply criticised plans for an EU trade deal with the US, hailed by David Cameron and George Osborne as a reason for staying in. He conceded that there are “differences” within the Remain camp as he warned that the deal would “import the worst working and standards conditions into Europe”.
He accused the Remain side of making a series of “catastrophist” warnings about the risk of leaving the EU and admitted the debate has been “poisonous”. Mr Corbyn said: “I’m not going to take blame for people’s decisions. Obviously I’m hoping there’s going to be a Remain vote but there may not. Whatever the result... we’ve got to work with it.”
The Labour leader was last night pressed on immi- gration as audience members at a Sky News debate suggested eastern European migrants are driving down wages of British workers.
Mr Corbyn said: “If you restrict movement of labour across Europe then you are defeating the whole point of there being one market across Europe.”
Questioned over his Eurosceptic past, Mr Corbyn said his support for the EU was not “unconditional” and that if Britain stays in it has “to change dramatically”.