EXCL Labour 'owes it to the country' to set out its vision for Brexit, says Shadow Brexit Minister
2 min read
Labour “owes it to the country” to “flesh out” its vision for the UK’s future relationship with the European Union, a member of the party’s Shadow Brexit team has said.
Matthew Pennycook said Labour should start to unveil in more detail its Brexit vision as the negotiations progress over the coming year.
Talks remain at ‘Phase One’ of the negotiations, with outstanding issues surrounding EU citizens, the border in Northern Ireland and the vexed issue of the so-called 'divorce bill' still to be settled between Brussels and ministers.
Discussions about the future relationship with Europe will only begin once an agreement is made on the first stage of the talks.
In an interview with the House magazine, Mr Pennycook, the Shadow Brexit Minister, said the party was in “broad agreement” about its position and priorities for the Brexit negotiations.
But he added: “I think over the next year, we owe it to the country - and we’ll need to just in terms of the negotiating timeline, because bear in mind the Government aren’t talking about this yet because we’re still at stage one - but what do we see as the future deal in more detail,” he said.
“I think over the next year we do have to start fleshing it out, because that’s where the talks will move to hopefully, if we get past stage one.”
In August, Sir Keir Starmer, the Shadow Brexit Secretary, announced that the party wants the UK to remain in the single market and customs union for the duration of a transition deal after Brexit.
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