Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn, arrives to give a speech on Brexit at the National Transport Design Centre at Coventry University, Britain February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Darren Staples

COVENTRY, England (Reuters) - British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Monday that Britain must be able to influence the European Union’s trade deals if the country signs up to a new customs union with the bloc after Brexit.

Answering questions after giving a speech setting out Labour’s stance on Brexit, Corbyn also said Britain needed a customs union deal with the EU to ensure there would be no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.