The Labour leader refused to commit to voting for the deal if it ever comes back from Brussels for a parliamentary vote
Source - Daily Telegraph 20/09/20
Sir Keir Starmer has warned Boris Johnson the Labour Party will not necessarily vote for his Brexit deal when he brings it back to Parliament.
Deal talks have stalled in recent weeks over the key issues of state aid and fishing rights, but negotiations must be concluded before the end of the transition period, after which Britain will automatically leave without a deal.
Sir Keir, who supported Remain in the 2016 referendum, has urged the Prime Minister to secure a deal with the EU as promised during last year’s election campaign.
But speaking on Sky News, the Labour leader refused to commit to voting for the deal if it ever comes back from Brussels for a parliamentary vote.
His party will only vote for a deal that is “in the best interests of the country”, he said, signalling that Mr Johnson may have a battle in the House of Commons even if his team can successfully negotiate a deal with Michel Barnier.
Asked if his party would back any deal, he said: "We will look at what comes back, but if it's in the best interests of the country, then we'll look at it, of course we will, because a deal is in the national interest.
"The Prime Minister promised us there was an 'oven-ready' deal and he needs to get on and deliver on that promise.
"It's in the national interest to get a deal. I say to the Prime Minister, 'go on, get that deal'."
Sir Keir’s Labour Party has changed its tone in recent months, adopting Mr Johnson’s language of Brexit delivery in an apparent attempt to win back the support of Leave-voting “Red Wall” areas in the North of England.
Writing in The Telegraph, Sir Keir said: “I accept that the Leave-Remain divide is over. The country needs — and wants — to move on . . . from this torturous debate.”
The news that Mr Johnson may face an additional hurdle to the passing of a deal came as it emerged Brussels will attempt to force the UK to sign up to a strict enforcement regime for its trade deal to prevent the UK from trying to wriggle out of legal commitments.
European diplomats told The Telegraph that member states are concerned the UK will try and break any agreement reached in a post-Brexit trade deal.
EU mandarins think the UK Internal Market Bill, which would allow the Government to breach international law, shows the UK could also renege on the terms of a trade deal in future.
If the UK was to sign up to a strict enforcement mechanism of the deal, the EU may be willing to grant concessions over "level playing field" rules and standards on goods, sources said.
“There’s a broad feeling among many member states that the governance system is even more important, given recent events,” one EU diplomat said.
“Personally, if we want to make progress, we need the level playing field commitments to be a little but less but then you absolutely need a strong governance system.”
Comments
Post a Comment