Taking a further step towards a softer Brexit, Keir Starmer has indicated his backing for the free movement of workers as part of the UK’s future relationship with the EU. The Shadow Brexit Secretary has also repeated his view that an Irish ‘backstop’ is now “inevitable” in any Brexit deal.
But Jeremy Corbyn, as he told Sky and the BBC last week, has agreed with the Prime Minister that the inability to unilaterally withdraw from the backstop arrangement is unacceptable. Theresa May is currently trying to amend the provision, which keeps the Irish border open in the event no trade deal is struck during the transition period.
He added: “I think most people would agree that if somebody is coming to do a job, and it needs to be done, and it’s been advertised locally beforehand with nobody able to do it, then most people say ‘I would accept that’. Most people say that if this is about family reunification… ‘that’s something I can accept’.