In a speech on Monday night that ended Labour’s usual post-referendum silence on the issue, Starmer pledged to tackle what he called a “fatberg of bureaucracy and red tape” caused by Johnson’s Brexit deal. Starmer described himself as an “honest broker” capable of reaching better compromises on key areas of disagreement with the EU, such as the Northern Ireland protocol. Although both sides wanted to reduce trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, the government’s approach had “eroded” confidence in the UK, Starmer told the Center for European Reform think tank. “Labour will change that,” he argued. “We will be the honest broker our countries need. We will make the protocol work and make it the springboard to secure a better deal for the British people.” But the Labor leader argued that the big issues around EU membership, particularly around the single market, customs union and free movement of people, were “arguments of the past” and could not be revisited. While shadow foreign secretary David Lammy made similar points in a Brexit speech last month, Starmer faced criticism from some within Labor for appearing reticent to attack Johnson on the issue, partly because of his own politics. route to the subject. Having previously pushed for a second referendum while campaigning to become Labor leader in 2020, Starmer called for the return of free movement and then reversed his position a year later. The speech on Monday drew criticism from the SNP and the Greens, but pro-EU Labor supporters praised Starmer’s approach, saying the only option was to try to make the current deal work better. The Labor leader set out a series of proposals “to make Brexit work”, particularly for Northern Ireland, including a new veterinary farm trade deal and a system for low-risk products to enter Northern Ireland without checks. Other proposals include a plan for the mutual recognition of professional qualifications with the EU and a new policing and security arrangement with Brussels. The plan also offers “flexible workforce mobility arrangements” for people making short-term business trips between the UK and the EU, as well as musicians and artists embarking on tours. The current deal had “created a huge amount of bureaucracy and red tape, which is hampering the flow of British business”, Starmer said. “We will break this barrier, unclog the arteries of our economy and allow trade to flourish again.” But he stressed that any talk of rejoining the EU would be “looking over our shoulder” and endanger public faith in politics, adding: “So let me be very clear: with Labour, the Britain will not return to the EU. We will not join the single market. We will not join a customs union.” Ben Bradshaw, the Exeter MP and former minister who is a leading pro-EU voice in the Labor Party, said Starmer’s approach was “absolutely right”. He said: “There is no prospect of us returning to the EU, the single market or the customs union any time soon, mainly because [Boris] Johnson has so completely destroyed trust with our European neighbors that any such move would be on far worse terms than we had before we left. “However, there is much we can do to reduce the huge damage being done to our economy and our relationship with our allies by fixing the many problems with Johnson’s failed Brexit deal.” Hilary Benn, who previously chaired the Brexit Commons committee and was another strong supporter of a second referendum, told BBC Radio 4’s One World that even rejoining the single market would require a public vote. “And I’ve told you, in my view there is absolutely no appetite for that,” he said. Sarah Olney, the Lib Dems’ trade spokeswoman, said Johnson’s deal, which Labor voted for, had caused significant damage and there was a need for “a pragmatic approach that works for the UK”. In contrast, the SNP said Starmer had “strengthened the case for independence by accepting the Tories’ hard Brexit”, while the Greens said it was “quite perverse for Keir Starmer to put his head in the sand and insist he will do Brexit To work”. .
