JEREMY Corbyn gave his big Brexit speech today, and the biggest thing we learned from it was that his party would seek to remain in a customs union with the EU.
So far, so good. Sadly, it was on the single market where the Labour leader came unstuck. Corbyn seemed to suggest, much like David Davis and the Tories, that Labour would be able to negotiate a deal which would see the UK pick and choose which aspects of the single market it signed up for. You can read our full story on this by clicking here.
The problem with this position is that the EU have repeatedly said that it's simply not possible. The four freedoms of the European Union are indivisible.
And indeed, after the speech one EU diplomat who was speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity said: “Corbyn’s speech is most welcome but he cannot expect the EU single market to become the cherry on his ‘new cake’.”
Dr Kirsty Hughes, Scotland's top EU expert, agrees. Writing for The National, she explains: "Corbyn said that free movement of people would end and Labour would have a fair and reasonable migration policy.
"Corbyn’s concerns that the EU or EEA would restrict his desired economic and industrial policies were also on full display as he insisted he would “negotiate protections, clarifications or exemptions where necessary” for privatisation, public service competition and more.
"This is a “cake and eat it” approach to the EU’s single market. Labour would not follow the EU’s four freedoms including free movement of people, would want a range of opt-outs on single market rules and still want full access.
"The EU has insisted repeatedly that such an approach is not on – Norway and Switzerland follow free movement and the EU is not about to undermine the integrity of the single market or the EEA."
It was however, the SNP's Pete Wishart who probably put it a bit more succinctly.
I think all Corbyn managed to achieve today is to prove he’s just another clueless Brexit fantasist.
— Pete Wishart (@PeteWishart) February 26, 2018
"I think all Corbyn managed to achieve today is to prove he’s just another clueless Brexit fantasist," he wrote.
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