We have an alternative plan for a sensible jobs first Brexit, Corbyn to tell CBI

Speaking at the CBI’s annual conference tomorrow (Monday 19 November 2018) Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour party will reject the government’s EU withdrawal deal as “a botched, worst-of-all-worlds deal”, say that it has left people “anxious and confused” and outline Labour’s alternative plan for a sensible jobs first Brexit.

He will criticise the Government for spending two years negotiating a bad deal that will “leave the country in an indefinite halfway house without a real say over our future”.

Corbyn will lay out Labour’s alternative plan for a sensible jobs first Brexit, which he will say could be a “catalyst to invest in our regions and infrastructure, bringing good jobs and real control to local communities and people”.

The alternative plan includes:

1. A new comprehensive and permanent customs union, with a British say in future trade deals, to support businesses and jobs and ensure no hard border in Northern Ireland.

2. Guarantee that our country doesn't fall behind the EU in workers’ rights, or protections for consumers and the environment. Brexit must not be an excuse for a race to the bottom in protections or rights at work.

3. A strong single market relationship that allows British business continued access to European markets for both goods and services - while also ensuring we have the powers to support our public services and industry and transform the economy in all our regions and nations.

If the Prime Minister is unable to negotiate an agreement that can win a majority in parliament and work for the whole country, Corbyn will say Labour’s alternative plan can and must take its place.

Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour Party, will say:

After the events of the past week, many people and many businesses will be anxious and confused. The Prime Minister has negotiated a botched, worst-of-all-worlds deal which is bad for Britain, leaving the country in an indefinite halfway house without a real say.

The government is trying to force a bad deal that doesn’t meet our country’s needs by threatening us all with the chaos and serious damage to our economy of a no deal outcome.

The Prime Minister knows that no deal isn’t a real option. Neither the cabinet nor parliament would endorse such an extreme and dangerous course.

Labour has an alternative plan for a sensible jobs-first deal that could win support in parliament and help bring our country together.

We want a new comprehensive and permanent customs union, with a British say in future trade deals. That would ensure no hard border in Northern Ireland and avoid the need for the government’s half-baked backstop deal.

Businesses and workers need certainty. The Tories’ sticking plaster plan for a temporary customs arrangement, with no clarity on how long it will last and no British say, can only prolong the uncertainty and put jobs and prosperity at risk.

Second, a sensible deal must guarantee a strong single market relationship. Talk of settling for a downgraded Canada-style arrangement is an option popular only on the extremes of the Tory party. It would a risk to our economy, jobs and investment in our schools, hospitals and vital public services.

Third, a deal that works for Britain must also guarantee that our country doesn't fall behind the EU in workers’ rights, or protections for consumers and the environment. Britain should be a world leader in rights and standards. We won't let this Conservative Government use Brexit as an excuse for a race to the bottom in protections, and rip up our rights at work or expose our children to chlorinated chicken by running down our product standards.

A good Brexit plan for this country is not just about what can be negotiated with Brussels. It must also include a radical programme of investment and real change across our regions and nations. Brexit should be the catalyst to invest in our regions and infrastructure, bringing good jobs and real control to local communities and people.

If the Prime Minister is unable to negotiate an agreement that can win a majority in parliament and work for the whole country, Labour’s alternative plan can and must take its place.