 Starmer told "Politico" in November 2016 that negotiations with the EU should start on the understanding that there must be "some change" to freedom of movement rules, given that remaining in the EU single market is no longer a reality.In May 2017, Starmer said that "free movement has to go", but that it was important to retain "free movement of labour", given the importance of immigration for the UK's economy.Starmer was a supporter of a second referendum on Brexit, with this position becoming Labour Party policy in their 2019 general election manifesto.