Ministers in Brexit row over movement of labour
Clashes in Cabinet over post-EU arrangements
THE DEEPENING schisms within the Government over the pursuit of Britain’s exit from the European Union have been laid bare as Ministers clashed over the hugely contentious issue of the free movement of labour.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox yesterday appeared to directly contradict Chancellor Philip Hammond, after insisting the Cabinet has not agreed a deal on immigration after withdrawal from the EU.
The remarks came as Chancellor Philip Hammond signalled there was “broad acceptance” in the Cabinet of a wide-ranging post-Brexit transitional period lasting up to three years.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable claimed Dr Fox’s remarks point to a “civil war” within the Cabinet, and the war of words came as an ally of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also criticised Mr Hammond’s plans.
Gerard Lyons, who was an economic adviser to Mr Johnson when he was London mayor, said a two-year transition period would work better. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Dr Fox said: “We made it clear that control of our own borders was one of the elements we wanted in the referendum, and unregulated free movement would seem to me not to keep faith with that decision.”
The International Trade Secretary said he had not been involved in any Cabinet talks on extending free movement for up to three years after Brexit, stating: “If there have been discussions on that I have not been party to them. I have not been involved in any discussions on that, nor have I signified my agreement to anything like that.”
In remarks that are likely to be seen as directed at the Chancellor, Dr Fox said: “I am very happy to discuss whatever transitional arrangements and whatever implementation agreement we might want, but that has to be an agreement by the Cabinet.
“It can’t just be made by an individual or any group within the Cabinet.”
Mr Hammond said on Friday the transitional period up to 2022 would mean “many arrangements remaining very similar to how they were the day before we exited the European Union”.
The Chancellor said there would be a registration system in place for people coming to work in the UK after Brexit during the transitional period. A Government source said that freedom of movement will end when Brexit occurs in March 2019, and a timelimited implementation period would then follow.
The source said that the idea of mass, uncontrolled migration is “not a vision of Brexit that we will undertake”.
However, the EU has made it clear continued access to the single market is dependent on free movement of labour.
Tory tensions were also on show as former Brexit Minister David Jones branded Mr Hammond’s transition initiative “deeply dangerous” as he accused the Chancellor of “going on manoeuvres” while Prime Minister Theresa May was abroad on holiday.
I have not been involved in any discussions on that. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox on talks of extending free movement.
YORKSHIRE IS a key battleground for the Liberal Democrats, the party’s leader Sir Vince Cable has claimed, as he pledged to fight back to a position of power through a strong local government presence.
The 74-year-old, who was in Yorkshire as part of a tour to kickstart his tenure as leader, said the party is still “entrenched” in the region despite losing two major seats in the General Election last month. Admitting this had been a blow, he maintained there were still grounds for optimism for the party.
“We’ve gone backwards in recent years, I’m very aware of that,” he said. “There were areas that we used to dominate, like Sheffield, Hull, and to a lesser extent, Leeds. We’ve got a lot of ground to make up.
“We still have a strong local government organisation in many parts of Yorkshire. We will fight our way back through local government and at the same time establish a strong national presence.”
The Lib Dem presence in Yorkshire was largely obliterated at the General Election in June, with former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg losing his Sheffield Hallam seat alongside Leeds North West MP Greg Mulholland.
“I very much regret both of these, they are very good people,” said Sir Vince. “There was this surge in the Labour Party which we all under-estimated. Corbyn did much better than had been expected.”
And, he admitted, the coalition government formed in 2010 had in the end proved a poisoned chalice. “It did us a lot of harm politically,” he said. “I would still defend Nick Clegg’s decision to go into it.
“There was a national emergency at the time, and we did have five years of strong and stable government. It did us a lot of political damage and we haven’t yet fully recovered.”
With the Conservatives and Labour maintaining a very hard stance on Brexit, he added, many people were now looking for a party which could provide a middle ground.
“I can’t remember a period in my lifetime when it has been like it is today,” he said. “There are some very decent, moderate people in the Labour Party, but the party is now dominated by one group, and on the Tory side there are hardline Brexiteers. When we see this happening, it’s difficult not to believe that a sensible party can’t break through.”
Sir Vince was in the region as he made his way north for the UK-wide tour. He was in Leeds on Saturday evening to meet with crowd of supporters, and yesterday he visited a homeless shelter in York, a city he still calls his “home town”.
“It has become a very difference place,” he added. “York, when I grew up, was a manufacturing city.
“My mother worked at Terry’s, and my dad at Rowntree. I’ve still got a lot of ties to the city.”
With Brexit on the horizon, he warned, parts of the region could be hit hard.
Using York as an example, he cited the reliance of the universities on European funding, and the dependence of farmers on seasonal workers from abroad.
“The big danger to York is that some of its current activities will be doubly affected by Brexit,” he said.
“We have gone backwards in the last couple of years but there are still reasons to be optimistic.
“We’ve got record levels of membership, on the back of Brexit. There’s a lot of positive thinking. The Labour party is going to come unstuck in its promises to voters.
“A lot of that euphoria is going to evaporate quite soon.”