Ed Davey calls on Starmer to give Labour MPs a free vote on Customs Union bill as result on “knife-edge”

• Lib Dem leader has written to the Prime Minister urging him to allow Labour MPs a free vote on Tuesday's Customs Union Bill.

• Vote looks too close to call, as support grows for a new customs union deal that research shows would significantly boost growth.

• In the letter, Ed Davey also called on the Prime Minister to release the minutes from his meeting with his Chief Economics Adviser in which she said a customs union would be one of the most effective ways to boost growth

Liberal Democrat Leader has urged Keir Starmer to grant backbench Labour MPs a free vote on the Customs Union bill set to be voted on in Parliament today (Tuesday).

The crunch vote on the Customs Union bill, tabled by Liberal Democrat Europe Spokesperson Al Pinkerton, would pave the way for the UK to start negotiations with the EU on a new customs union. It comes as senior figures within the Labour party, including the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, have suggested that a new customs union deal would boost growth and be beneficial for Britain's economy.

The vote now looks set to be on a “knife edge”, with the Liberal Democrats working with MPs from across the house who support a closer trading relationship with the EU. The party has also written to all Labour MPs, asking them to throw their support behind the bill.

Within his letter, Ed Davey also called on Keir Starmer to commit to releasing the minutes of his meeting with his Chief Economic Adviser Baroness Shafik where she is reported to have highlighted the benefits of a new UK-EU customs union.

Liberal Democrat Europe Spokesperson Al Pinkerton said:

“This crucial vote on a new customs union with the EU is now on a knife edge. The government has finally admitted the enormous economic damage done by the Conservatives' Brexit deal, now they must move far more quickly to fix it.

“Given the debate on this issue within his own party and cabinet, it is only right that the Prime Minister gives his MPs a free vote so they can show their support for a new customs union deal.

“We need to cut the red tape that's burying British businesses and start turbocharging growth, and a bespoke EU-UK customs union would be the single most effective way of doing that.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

Full letter here.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for the UK to negotiate a new customs union with the EU, covering most goods but not agriculture, and in which the UK would be consulted during negotiations on new EU trade deals with third countries. Recent House of Commons Library research commissioned by the party has found that the UK is suffering from a £90bn blackhole due to the Conservatives' botched Brexit deal.