Monday, March 27, 2017

More On Article 50: Brexit deal must meet six tests, says Labour


Labour will not support any Brexit deal negotiated by the government unless it meets the party's "six tests", the shadow Brexit secretary has said.

Any deal must include a strong relationship with the EU and the same benefits the UK currently has from the single market, Sir Keir Starmer said.

The UK should "honour our obligations" regarding any "divorce bill", he added.
The government will trigger Article 50 on Wednesday, kick-starting talks aimed at agreeing a Brexit deal with the EU.


The government will then publish its Great Repeal Bill on Thursday.

It will propose giving ministers the powers to change some aspects of European laws when they have been incorporated into UK legislation, without needing the approval of Parliament.

Triggering Article 50 begins a two-year negotiation process to attempt to reach a deal before Britain officially leaves the EU in March 2019.

If no deal is agreed, it would mean World Trade Organization rules would be imposed - less favourable terms than trading within the single market.

Outlining Labour's demands in a speech in London, Sir Keir said the prime minister "should be under no illusion that Labour will not support a deal that fails to reflect core British values and the six tests I have set out today".

"All of us want the best for Britain. But the stakes are high and the prime minister's approach so far does not bode well," he said.

The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said some of the tests were akin to "motherhood and apple pie" and could be met quite easily.

But he said Labour were setting the bar quite high in calling for the UK to retain the "exact same benefits" as currently afforded by membership of the single market and the customs union.

Source: bbc.com

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