BREXIT talks between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn shuddered to a halt yesterday 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 the party.
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.”
On Tuesday night, in an unexpected development, May, in a statement from Downing Street, offered to “sit down with the leader of the opposition and try to agree a plan that we would both would stick to, to ensure that we leave the European Union and that we do so with a deal”.
She said any joint plan would have to “agree the current Withdrawal Agreement” and “focus on ... our future relationship with the EU”.
That suggested the Prime Minister was willing to rewrite the Political Declaration, the document setting out the sort of agreement the UK would like to have with Europe after Brexit – Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, has repeatedly said there is a openness in Brussels to “rework the Political Declaration”.
But Keir Starmer, Labour’s Brexit Secretary, said that wasn’t the case. He said the Government wasn’t willing to consider “any changes to the actual wording of the political declaration”.
READ MORE: Brexit deal no closer after two days of Tory-Labour talks
According to Sky News, Number 10 had instead offered a “clarificatory memorandum” about how the Government interprets the Political Declaration.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was exasperated if unsurprised: “This is similar to when I met PM on Wednesday.
“She wanted to know where we could compromise, but refused to indicate any compromise she might make.
“It is a bizarre approach from someone who made great play of wanting to find consensus – and has just wasted yet more time.”
Downing Street hit back and insisted talks were still ongoing. The initial plan was to put any agreed deal in front of MPs on Monday or Tuesday this week.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “We have made serious proposals in talks this week and are prepared to pursue changes to the political declaration in order to deliver a deal that is acceptable to both sides.
READ MORE: Cross-party MPs call for any Tory-Labour Brexit deal to be put to the people
“We are ready to hold further detailed discussions this weekend in order to seek any such changes in the run up to European Council on Wednesday. The Government is determined to work constructively to deliver the Brexit people voted for, and avoid participation in the European Parliamentary elections.”
Prisons Minister Rory Stewart told BBC Radio 4’s PM there was “quite a lot of life” left in the process of talks with Labour.
“I know that there are going to be tensions,” he said, but added: “In truth the positions of the two parties are very, very close and where there’s good will it should be possible to get this done and get it done relatively quickly.”
He insisted that “of course we are prepared to compromise” on the political declaration.
The failure of the talks led to renewed calls for a so-called People’s Vote.
LibDem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said the “beer and sandwiches approach” had failed.
“Brexit is a national embarrassment and needs to be put out of its misery. There is a clear way for the PM to get her deal through Parliament and that is by putting it to the people with the option to stay in the EU.”
The SNP’s Ian Blackford said the botched talks only strengthened the case for independence: “The clock is ticking down and with just a matter of days before the deadline to a catastrophic no-deal exit, it is clear that the only way to end the Brexit impasse is by bringing this back to the people in a fresh EU referendum – with remain on the ballot paper.
“Throughout the entire process, Scotland’s votes, voice and interests have been completely ignored.
“It is becoming clearer as each day passes that the only sure way to protect Scotland’s economic and social interests is through independence.”
In a letter to Donald Tusk, May said that the Government was considering putting a series of options to the Commons. She would, she promised, “abide” by the results.
READ MORE: Little enthusiasm in Europe for Theresa May's plea for short Brexit delay
May’s offer of talks with Labour infuriated the Brexiteers in her party. Even the normally loyal MPs were stunned by the approach.
The Tory leader faced a bruising session at Prime Minister’s Questions last Wednesday.
Lee Rowley reminded May that in the previous week she had described Corbyn as “the biggest threat to our standing in the world, to our defence and to our economy”.
Caroline Johnson asked May to choose between the “risk of a no-deal Brexit versus the risk of letting down the country and ushering in a Marxist, anti-Semite-led Government”.
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