Sir Keir Starmer – Labour backs ‘a customs union’ arrangement
The Shadow Brexit Secretary told Andrew Marr this morning that Labour has come out in favour of the UK reaching an agreement to remain in ‘a customs union’ with the EU. The outcome would see the UK retain tariff free access to EU markets, but still apply the EU’s external tariffs to goods from the rest of the world. The announcement comes after a prolonged period of confusion and contradiction over Labour’s exact policy on this issue. Starmer said that the ‘unanimous’ decision had been arrived at after ‘many weeks of discussion’:
AM: Can I ask what the Labour position is on a customs union?
KS: We’ve long championed being in a customs union with the EU and the benefits of that. Obviously, it’s the only way realistically to get tariff free access. It’s really important for our manufacturing base, and nobody can answer the question of how you keep your commitment to no ‘hard border’ in Northern Ireland without a customs union…
AM: So this is laying to rest the last shreds of any doubt.
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