BREXIT talks between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn broke down after Labour accused the Tories of failing to offer any “real change or compromise”.
According to a spokesman for the Opposition, the Prime Minister, who infuriated her party when she asked for negotiations with Labour, was unwilling to actually negotiate with Labour.
Corbyn’s spokesman said:
“We are disappointed that the government has not offered real change or compromise.
“We urge the Prime Minister to come forward with genuine changes to her deal in an effort to find an alternative that can win support in Parliament and bring the country together.”
“We are disappointed that the government has not offered real change or compromise.
We urge the prime minister to come forward with genuine changes to her deal in an effort to find an alternative that can win support in Parliament and bring the country together.
A source suggests that Labour do not see this as the end of the talks; rather that the ball is now firmly in the government’s court.
It’s understood that Labour has been pushing for changes to be made to the political declaration, with the government adopting the five key commitments Jeremy Corbyn set out in a letter to the prime minister in February – and for those to be enshrined in law. Those commitments were:
- A “permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union”, including a say in future trade deals.
- Close alignment with the single market, underpinned by “shared institutions”.
- “Dynamic alignment on rights and protections”, so that UK standards do not fall behind those of the EU.
- Clear commitments on future UK participation in EU agencies and funding programmes.
- Unambiguous agreements on future security arrangements, such as use of the European arrest warrant.
No commitment to those changes has been forthcoming, it’s understood.
