|
|
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn put forward an amendment to Prime Minister Theresa May’s flagship Brexit legislation -- to be voted on next week. It would make it a formal goal in negotiations to keep “full access” to the single market. May is determined to leave the EU’s internal market, which applies the same trade rules across national boundaries within the bloc.
Labour can’t pass laws on its own and needs members of May’s governing Tory party who favor a softer version of Brexit to rebel against the premier and vote with the opposition.
While it’s unlikely pro-EU Tories will want to back an official Labour proposal -- it’s possible they could propose a similar re-write Labour could back. [...]
Under Labour’s plan, the U.K. would also remain signed up to EU “institutions and regulations,” suggesting it could potentially stay in the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. May wants to leave the court’s jurisdiction, though with some exceptions.
The new plan will potentially be put to a vote next Tuesday when the prime minister asks members of Parliament to back her vision for Brexit during a marathon 12-hour debate. She is vulnerable even to small rebellions because she has no automatic majority for her Tory party in the House of Commons.
Slowly Shifting
“Labour will only accept a Brexit deal that delivers the benefits of the single market and protects jobs and living standards,” Keir Starmer, the party’s Brexit spokesman, said in a statement Tuesday. “Labour’s amendment, along with a commitment to negotiate a new comprehensive customs union with the EU, is a strong and balanced package that would retain the benefits of the single market.” [...]