Alastair Campbell: Corbyn customs union proposal ‘significant’

Alastair Campbell: Corbyn customs union proposal ‘significant’

Former Labour adviser Alastair Campbell has described Jeremy Corbyn’s proposal for a “new and comprehensive” UK-EU customs union as “significant”.

However Mr Campbell, a strong Remain supporter, said the proposal aimed at ensuring tariff-free trade after Brexit did not go far enough.

He urged Labour to back calls for a referendum on the final Brexit deal, stating that Mr Corbyn holds enough power to try to intervene on the UK government’s policy.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (Aaron Chown/PA)

“The Labour Party has a lot of power in this situation because of the parliamentary arithmetic and I hope that Conservatives do stand up against this hard Brexit that Theresa May is pursuing.

“Although Jeremy Corbyn is saying ‘this isn’t much of a move’, I think it is quite a significant move and that says to me we can maybe get them to move further.”

He added: “I want them to move to a position where they acknowledge the importance of the single market and also I want them to get to the position where they say if the deal that Theresa May brings back is not acceptable that – not just Parliament – but the public can have a say on that.

“The efforts the Government has been making to cherry pick the bits that it likes and leave the bits that it doesn’t – that doesn’t seem to be going down terribly well with the EU negotiators.

“But I certainly hope, that having moved a bit, Labour can move further.”

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