A Labour government would “fix” Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, a member of Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet has said – raising the prospect of more talks with the EU.
The announcement, which came hours before Sir Keir’s speech to Labour conference in Brighton, represents a change in approach from the party and is the first time the new leadership has suggested there could be more negotiations.
Sir Keir said emphatically in January that there was “no case” for renegotiating the accord struck between Mr Johnson and the EU – in an effort to put the Brexit issue to bed.
But speaking to the BBC on Wednesday morning, shadow justice secretary David Lammy blamed the agreement for economic problems hitting the UK and said Labour would have to “fix” it in government.
“There are challenges for hauliers, of course, right across Europe. But let’s be clear: there are no queues in Spain, in Germany or France.
“So what’s the difference? The difference is that we exited the European Union on Boris’s deal we’re out of a customs union, the cabotage system that were set up that allowed drivers to come here and go back with goods and the tariffs that we now have mean the drivers aren’t coming.”
Pressed on what a Labour government would do to to change the agreement, which would require renegotiation with the EU, Mr Lammy said: “This is his deal. When we come to government, we’ll have to look at how we fix his deal.”
He added: “Let’s be clear, shortages right across the country, shortages of fruit pickers, shortages of builders, shortages in terms of lorry drivers: all of that is down to Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab and the promises they made to the British people.”
In January Sir Keir said an incoming Labour government would have to make the existing treaty “work”.
But the U-turn comes after he last night told broadcasters that he was ready to break policy pledges if he thought it would help his electoral chances.
“The most important pledge I made was that I would turn [Labour] into a party that would be fit for government, capable of winning a general election, I’m not going to be deflected from that,” he said.
Boris Johnson’s government has been pushing hard for changes to the EU withdrawal agreement but the EU has said it is not open for renegotiation.
The bloc has however in the past been more open to closer economic integration through membership of the customs union or single market, though the issue of Brexit is largely considered settled in European capitals.
It comes as amid a separate post-Brexit row over fishing licences which could see the vast majority of French boats locked out of UK waters.
The French government reacted with fury after just 12 fishing licences for small boats to operate in UK waters were granted out of 47 applications.
The UK was accused of taking French fishing “hostage” and warned of “retaliatory action” following the decision.
The prospect of a new cross-channel fishing war came after the UK issued licences based on evidence of a boat’s track record of fishing in its territorial waters, in line with the Brexit deal.
Some 47 applications were received from boats under 12 metres in length to be able to operate in the UK’s territorial sea.
