Starmer under pressure over Labour's Brexit split

By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

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Keir Starmer was mocked over Labour's Brexit split today as he was told he might be out of a job within a year if he failed to agree to a new customs union with the EU. Remainer politicians including Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey took aim at the Prime Minister amid signs that a sizeable chunk of his party want him to unravel the withdrawal agreement. Yesterday 13 Labour MPs, including Treasury Select Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier broke ranks to back a Lib Dem effort to create a new EU/UK customs union.

Keir Starmer was mocked over Labour's Brexit split today as he was told he might be out of a job within a year if he failed to agree to a new customs union with the EU. Remainer politicians including Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey took aim at the Prime Minister amid signs that a sizeable chunk of his party want him to unravel the withdrawal agreement. Yesterday 13 Labour MPs, including Treasury Select Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier broke ranks to back a Lib Dem effort to create a new EU/UK customs union.

That came a week after an intervention by Deputy PM David Lammy, who spoke warmly of the benefits of rejoining, despite it being beyond Labour's 'red lines'. During an exchange with Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey at Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said he wants a closer relationship with Europe but did not commit to rejoining the customs union. Sir Ed referenced US president Donald Trump 's new 'deeply alarming' national security strategy, saying: 'I f we're going to stand up to President Trump, we do need to strengthen our ties with Europe, not just on defence, but on the economy too.

That came a week after an intervention by Deputy PM David Lammy, who spoke warmly of the benefits of rejoining, despite it being beyond Labour's 'red lines'. During an exchange with Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey at Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said he wants a closer relationship with Europe but did not commit to rejoining the customs union. Sir Ed referenced US president Donald Trump 's new 'deeply alarming' national security strategy, saying: 'I f we're going to stand up to President Trump, we do need to strengthen our ties with Europe, not just on defence, but on the economy too.

'And the truth is this Government will not succeed unless it gets our economy growing strongly again, and the best way to do that is a customs union with Europe. 'The Prime Minister's chief economic adviser (Baroness Shafik) knows it, the Deputy Prime Minister knows it, and yesterday the Labour chair of the Treasury select committee showed she knows it too when she backed our Bill. 'Does the Prime Minister fear if he keeps opposing a customs union, in 12 months' time he will not be standing there?'

'And the truth is this Government will not succeed unless it gets our economy growing strongly again, and the best way to do that is a customs union with Europe. 'The Prime Minister's chief economic adviser (Baroness Shafik) knows it, the Deputy Prime Minister knows it, and yesterday the Labour chair of the Treasury select committee showed she knows it too when she backed our Bill. 'Does the Prime Minister fear if he keeps opposing a customs union, in 12 months' time he will not be standing there?'

Sir Keir replied: 'We have got a closer relationship with the EU, through our reset earlier this year. And, yes, I do want a closer relationship to the one we've got at the moment, we are moving towards that. 'We do have manifesto commitments on issues such as single market, customs union and freedom of movement. 'But I would gently point this out – that having now done significant trade deals with other countries, including the US and India, which are hugely important to the JLR workforce and on pharma, it is not now sensible to unravel what is effectively the best deal with the US that any country has got.'

Sir Keir replied: 'We have got a closer relationship with the EU, through our reset earlier this year. And, yes, I do want a closer relationship to the one we've got at the moment, we are moving towards that. 'We do have manifesto commitments on issues such as single market, customs union and freedom of movement. 'But I would gently point this out – that having now done significant trade deals with other countries, including the US and India, which are hugely important to the JLR workforce and on pharma, it is not now sensible to unravel what is effectively the best deal with the US that any country has got.'

The Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill, tabled by the Liberal Democrats' Europe spokesman Al Pinkerton, passed its first Commons hurdle on Tuesday. It received a tie of 100 votes to 100, with the deputy speaker casting the deciding 'aye' vote to 'allow further debate'. Three Labour MPs voted against the Bill and 13 voted in favour. Bills tabled in this manner are unlikely to become law without Government support due to parliamentary time, but they do allow MPs to make a case for new legislation in the Commons.

The Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill, tabled by the Liberal Democrats' Europe spokesman Al Pinkerton, passed its first Commons hurdle on Tuesday. It received a tie of 100 votes to 100, with the deputy speaker casting the deciding 'aye' vote to 'allow further debate'. Three Labour MPs voted against the Bill and 13 voted in favour. Bills tabled in this manner are unlikely to become law without Government support due to parliamentary time, but they do allow MPs to make a case for new legislation in the Commons.

Ed DaveyLabourDavid LammyKeir Starmer

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