Politics: Labour Needs to Unite on Brexit

The Labour Party is still riding high from an electoral performance that exceeded all expectations. Jeremy Corbyn has largely silenced his critics in the parliamentary party, he has made a star-studded appearance at Glastonbury and has rocketed in the polls. However, there is a problem brewing for Labour. Its policy on Brexit is fragmented, unclear and varies from MP to MP. Labour MPs are split into a number of groups with very different visions of Brexit.

Single market supporters

There is a cohort of MPs who support the retention of the UK’s place in the single market and the customs union. This would be in line with the Labour manifesto which stated that a Labour government would have “a strong emphasis on retaining the benefits of the Single Market and the Customs Union”.

The commitment to the single market varies among MPs. Keir Starmer, the Shadow Brexit Secretary, has pointed out that all of these benefits are exclusively for members of the EU and has spoken of seeking a model which is close to membership.

On the other hand, MPs such as Chukka Umunna and Ben Bradshaw have talked of their support for full continued membership of the single market.  That shows the diversity of opinion amongst Labour MPs. When you add MPs such as Kate Hoey who backed Brexit from the outset the picture becomes even more muddled.

Corbyn’s Brexit

Corbyn’s handling of the EU referendum last year resulted in his leadership being challenged by Owen Smith. His commitment to the Remain campaign was widely questioned and that was a fair criticism. During his three and a half decades on the backbenches Corbyn was clearly Eurosceptic. He opposed the Maastricht and Lisbon Treaties and critiqued the EU as a project seeking to create a “huge free-market Europe”.

Corbyn and his allies see Brexit as an opportunity to advocate Lexit, or a left exit. They believe that leaving the EU would enable Labour to pursue policies that are now restricted by the EU’s restrictions on state aid for industries. Corbyn has also said that he believes Brexit should mean an end to freedom of movement and UK membership of the single market.

This position is closer to a hard Brexit than many Labour voters would like. MPs, peers and trade unions have lobbied the Labour leader to fight for single market membership but instead Corbyn sacked three of his frontbenchers for joining 46 other labour MPs in voting for a parliamentary amendment advocating remaining in the single market.

While the prospect of Lexit is slim, Corbyn’s stand will help the Tories pursue their own goal of a hard Brexit because the official Opposition is refusing to defend freedom of movement and single market membership. Corbyn’s decision to accept Brexit as a fait accompli during the general election campaign has allowed the Tories to respond to any criticism of their handling of Brexit by pointing out that more than 80% of voters in the election backed parties which supported Brexit.

Brexit balancing act

Labour’s problem is that it wants to placate a diverse coalition. It is trying to satisfy the cosmopolitan, liberal, internationalist supporter in Islington by using the lexicon of a soft Brexit. Meanwhile, it uses the ending of freedom of movement to chase support in the industrial northern constituencies which backed Brexit. The 2017 general election was billed as the Brexit election but terrorism and Corbyn’s determination to talk about other things crowded Brexit out of the picture.

That helped Labour’s Brexit policy to avoid scrutiny, even though the young people who buoyed Corbyn’s campaign are overwhelmingly supportive of EU membership. The challenge for Labour is that if it positioning itself as a government in waiting then it must compile a clear, crisp and coherent Brexit strategy. Only then will Labour be ready for power.

 

by Thomas Chambers

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