The environment minister accused Starmer of ‘flip-flopping’ on Brexit
Nicola Slawson
Accused by the Tories Keir Starmer of EU flip-flopping following claims that Labor wants to effectively undo Brexit.
The Labor leader made a speech on Thursday in which he outlined his vision for the UK’s future relationship with the EU, saying Labor does not “want to break up”.
The Labor leader spoke at an event in Canada that brought together liberal and left-of-centre politicians, where he said “most of the conflict” since Brexit has arisen because the UK “wants to break away and do different things to the rest of our EU partners”.
Speaking to GB News on Friday morning, the environment minister, Mark Spenceraccused Labor of obsessing over Brexit and said Starmer appeared to be making policy “on the hoof”.
He said:
We don’t really know what he’s talking about, he’s flip-flopping. One minute he says he wants to have free movement, then the next minute he says he wants to control our borders.
He doesn’t seem to have a clear policy and he seems to wear make up sometimes.
I think it is very difficult to explain what he stands for. He seems, to me, obsessed with getting power but he doesn’t really have the principles to get in there – and I think that’s the real danger of the Labor Party.
Spencer added that we need to recognize that democracy has taken place and that the country has voted to leave the EU.
He continued:
The prime minister gave that Brexit and now we are an independent country, separate from the EU, but we can still trade with them and still work with them, but on our own terms.
I think that’s the right relationship, the right balance.
I think to continue to observe – as the Labor Party did – on Brexit and look back with pink-tinted glasses and talk about following their rules, I think we are just going back in time.
We need to forget the fact that we voted to leave the European Union, we need to accept that, make the most of it – as we are doing – and stop looking backwards as the Labor Party likes to do.
I will look at the political blog today. If you have any tips or suggestions, please contact: nicola.slawson@theguardian.com.
Main events
Labor frontbencher James Murray suggested that closer cooperation with Brussels would improve national security and increase trade.
The Treasury’s shadow finance secretary said the comments from the Conservatives after Starmer’s speech seemed like “an attempt to distract from the fact that they have no plans to do Brexit.”
He told GB News:
I think it’s about doing what’s in our national interest – what’s in our national economic interest, as well as our other national interests when it comes to security, supply chains, cross-border policing and others.
And to be honest, I think when I hear some of the Conservatives talking about what Kier Starmer said, I feel like it’s an attempt to distract from the fact that they have no plans to do Brexit.
We know that businesses suffer from too much red tape. We know it affects growth. We know this is deepening the cost of living crisis.
That’s why we want to see an improved trading relationship with the EU and to help grow the economy and make people across Britain better off.
Labor frontbencher James Murray also made the media rounds to defend Keir Starmer after the Canadian Labor leader’s speech in which he talked about the future relationship between the UK and the EU.
Murray insisted Starmer was clear about the party’s “red line” on the European Union.
He told Sky News:
Keir has been clear throughout that we have red lines when it comes to our relationship with the EU post-Brexit.
We don’t want to be in a single market. We don’t want to be part of the customs union. We do not want to restore freedom of movement.
But we want a better trading relationship, we want a better trade and investment relationship between the UK and the EU and I think what’s really clear is that the Tories have no plan to do Brexit, and that affects businesses and our economy. and basically leaving people all over Britain worse off.
The shadow finance secretary said there were areas where a Labor government would break away from Brussels, for example by striking trade deals around the world.
He added:
All we’ve seen under the Conservatives is more red tape for businesses, which means it’s affecting economic growth, which means it’s deepening the cost of living crisis.
Shadow chancellor: Labor ‘doesn’t want to rejoin the EU’
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves dismissing claims that Labor wants to effectively undo Brexit.
Reeves said what Labor wanted was “better relations with our nearest neighbors and trading partners”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:
We do not want to rejoin the EU in name or in any way; we accept the result of the referendum.
That was seven years ago, more than seven years ago now, times move on.
But we want to have better relations with our closest neighbors and trading partners.
Even Rishi Sunak accepted that it was possible, by re-entering the Horizon research program between UK universities and European universities.
But there are other areas – for example facilitating the sale of agricultural products or helping our service sector with mutual recognition of professional qualifications, helping our fantastic cultural industries to circulate in Europe.
The environment minister accused Starmer of ‘flip-flopping’ on Brexit
Nicola Slawson
Accused by the Tories Keir Starmer of EU flip-flopping following claims that Labor wants to effectively undo Brexit.
The Labor leader made a speech on Thursday in which he outlined his vision for the UK’s future relationship with the EU, saying Labor does not “want to break up”.
The Labor leader spoke at an event in Canada that brought together liberal and left-of-centre politicians, where he said “a lot of the conflict” since Brexit has arisen because the UK “wants to break up and do different things to the rest of our EU partners”.
Speaking to GB News on Friday morning, the environment minister, Mark Spenceraccused Labor of obsessing over Brexit and said Starmer appeared to be making policy “on the hoof”.
He said:
We don’t really know what he’s talking about, he’s flip-flopping. One minute he says he wants to have free movement, then the next minute he says he wants to control our borders.
He doesn’t seem to have a clear policy and he seems to wear make up sometimes.
I think it is very difficult to explain what he stands for. He seems, to me, obsessed with getting into power but he doesn’t really have the principles to get in there – and I think that’s the real danger to the Labor Party.
Spencer added that we need to recognize that democracy has taken place and that the country has voted to leave the EU.
He continued:
The prime minister gave that Brexit and now we are an independent country, separate from the EU, but we can still trade with them and still work with them, but on our own terms.
I think that’s the right relationship, the right balance.
I think to continue to observe – as the Labor Party did – on Brexit and look back with pink-tinted glasses and talk about following their rules, I think we are just going back in time .
We need to forget the fact that we voted to leave the European Union, we need to accept that, make the most of it – as we are doing – and stop looking backwards as the Labor Party likes to do.
I will look at the political blog today. If you have any tips or suggestions, please contact: nicola.slawson@theguardian.com.
