22 November 2019

Financial Times: Labour’s Brexit plans will keep UK closely aligned with EU

Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn has promised to “get Brexit sorted” within six months of winning the general election, deliberately apeing Boris Johnson’s pledge to “get Brexit done”. But although the slogans are similar, the policies are very different.

The Labour manifesto commits Mr Corbyn to renegotiating Britain’s exit deal within three months, promising to keep the UK much more closely aligned with the EU on trade, the environment and workers’ rights.

Mr Corbyn claimed that once this “sensible” deal was negotiated, it would be “put to a legally binding referendum alongside the option of remaining in the EU”. This would be completed by next summer — a timetable regarded by experts as extremely ambitious.

The Labour party leader’s principal problem with Brexit — ruthlessly highlighted by Mr Johnson on nine occasions in this week’s televised leaders’ debate — is that he refuses to say whether he would campaign for Remain or Leave in such a referendum.

Mr Johnson’s policy has the advantage of clarity. He would get Brexit “done” by January 31, even if leaving the EU early in 2020 would only herald the start of long and complex trade negotiations with the 27 remaining members of the bloc.

The Labour leader’s promise to get the issue “sorted” hands the decision on Brexit back to the people, leaving doubt over Britain’s future membership of the EU — and where exactly Mr Corbyn stands on the biggest issue of the day.

The manifesto sets out the “sensible” Brexit deal Mr Corbyn would seek to negotiate with the EU: it would represent a far closer economic and political partnership than that proposed by Mr Johnson and would be broadly acceptable to the EU27.

Crucially, it would see Britain remain part of the EU customs union — with the country benefiting from, but having no legal say over, trade deals negotiated by Brussels with countries around the world. [...]

Full article on Financial Times (subscription required)

Related article on Financial Times: Jeremy Corbyn says he would be ‘neutral’ in a second Brexit poll (subscription required)

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