MP, Leader of the , will travel to Brussels for
meetings with leading European Union politicians and negotiators
on Thursday (19 October) to set out Labour’s Brexit priorities
and attempt to help move the talks forwards and break the Brexit
logjam.
will be meeting EU chief
Brexit negotiator and President of the
European Parliament, . There will also be
bilateral meetings with the Italian, Swedish and Portuguese Prime
Ministers. He will be accompanied by two members of Labour’s
Brexit team, Shadow Brexit Secretary , and Shadow International
Trade Secretary, .
MP, Leader of the , said:
“As the Government’s splits and Brexit bungling become ever more
damaging, Labour stands ready to take up responsibility for the
Brexit negotiations.
“A no-deal Brexit would be a bad deal for Britain, threatening
jobs and living standards. It would also harm our European
neighbours. That’s why it’s in all our interests to increase the
pressure for real progress in the current talks and move on to
negotiations about our future trading relationship.
“Far from viewing the European Union as ‘the enemy’, Labour would
conduct negotiations in a spirit of cooperation and mutual
respect with the aim of achieving a strong settlement for
Britain and a new relationship with Europe.
“We are clear in our priorities: a jobs-first Brexit which
maintains tariff-free access to the Single Market to protect
trade and living standards. Labour will guarantee the rights of
EU citizens living in the UK, and seek reciprocal arrangements
for British citizens living in mainland Europe.
“The UK is leaving the European Union, but how we do so will be
crucial to our country’s future for decades to come. The
Government is lurching towards a no-deal Brexit, egged on by a
powerful faction which wants to use Brexit to turn Britain into a
deregulated tax haven.
“I am unapologetic in taking every opportunity to seek to
influence the final Brexit deal in the interests of the many, not
just the few.”
