Are you sure? Moment John McDonnell claims Labour has a 'CONSISTENT' position on Brexit
THE shadow chancellor claimed Labour had a "consistent" approach on Brexit and that it was the Government who did not have a steady Brexit position.
John McDonnell: Labour have had a consistent position on Brexit
John McDonnell said that Labour had been "consistent" in its position on Brexit but that he did not know what Brexit Secretary David Davis’ position was from "day to day".
Speaking to the BBC, he said: “Well we’ve consistently had this position but to be frank, I don’t know what David Davis’ position is from day to day.
“This morning he seems to have fallen out with the Chancellor, saying he ’s misspoken on continuing payments, and over the weekend he put doubts about the deal with the Irish as well."
The Labour MP added that it was, in fact, the Government that did not have a consistent position on Brexit.
He said: “So we’ve had a consistent position. Unfortunately, the Government hasn’t and we’re hoping the government can get a grip on negotiations and we can move on quickly now.”
The Prime Minister flew to Brussels on December 8 to finalise a last-minute Brexit deal, which many have hailed as a step forward in the negotiations with the European Union.
Britain and the EU finally agreed over EU citizens’ rights, the Brexit divorce bill and the Irish border, meaning talks can progress on to trade in 2018.
Brexit Secretary David Davis insisted that Britain could easily refuse to hand over the agreed £39bn exit bill if a trade deal with the Brussels bloc was not secured by the date of departure.
May reassures Leave voters about Brexit deal
Mr Davis insisted that the agreement secured with Brussels to trigger talks on a post-Brexit relationship made the prospect of the UK being forced back into World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariff trading arrangements after withdrawal much less likely.
The Brexit deal was criticised by hard Brexiteers for its ambiguity on whether the UK will remain in the customs union and the single market.
The final decision on the first stage of the negotiations remains in the hands of the European Council, who will meet on Thursday.
The EU Commission today admitted the Brexit agreement sealed between Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday is not legally binding – but insisted Britain must honour it in full.
Labour has been thrown into turmoil throughout the Brexit process, with hard-left leader Jeremy Corbyn even sacking members of the shadow cabinet.
Labour was accused of a backtrack after shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer urged the Government to put access to the customs union and single market “back on the table”.
Sir Keir told the Commons, on Wednesday, December 8, the Government was an “embarrassment” to Britain after the DUP refused to back a possible Brexit deal due to reservations about the Irish border arrangement.
He said: “Will the Prime Minister now rethink her reckless red lines and put options such as a customs union and the single market back on the table for negotiation?
"Because if the price of the Prime Minister's approach is the break-up of the Union and reopening a bitter divide in Northern Ireland, then the price is too high."
A party spokesman later said: “We want a final deal that retains the benefits of the Customs Union and the Single Market.
"Options for achieving the benefits of the Customs Union should not be swept off the table. Labour is flexible as to whether the benefits of the Single Market are best retained by negotiating a new relationship with the Single Market or by a bespoke trade deal."
This contradicts Mr Corbyn’s position in a July interview with Andrew Marr, where the Labour leader said keeping Britain’s full single market membership was impossible.
He said: “The single market is dependent on membership of the EU. The two things are inextricably linked.”
Theresa May said in Parliament on Monday that Labour was “playing to two houses” on its Brexit position.
Mrs May said: “I think the fact as he reflects that the Right Honourable Gentleman, the leader of the opposition, was so equivocal in the sense of what the Labour Party’s view was on this issue is that they want to try to play to two houses.
“They want to say at the start that they're confirming the referendum and respecting it and yet at the same time don’t want to accept that we will be leaving the European Union and we will be leaving.”