Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has provoked anger in his party over his Brexit plan ‘fudge’ (Picture: PA)

Labour is embroiled in another row over their latest handling of the Brexit debacle.

Yesterday Jeremy Corbyn and his frontbench demanded a new ‘single market’ deal for the UK with ‘full access’ to the EU market as a main objective.

In a bid to appease Labour rebels, Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Kier Starmer tabled an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill ahead of a crunch vote in the Commons next week.

However the move stops just short of calling for the full single market membership sought by a vocal group of Labour MPs after the Lords backed a Norway-style membership of the European Economic Area.(EEA)


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Brexiteers say the Norway-style membership deal of the EEA would mean the UK has to accept freedom of movement but have no say in EU rules.



Remainers believe it is the best chance to have a ‘soft Brexit’ and retain links and trade with our European neighbours.

Today Corbyn’s critics accused him of attempting a ‘fudge’ which would ultimately help the Conservatives in next week’s vote.

Sir Keir Starmer has tabled an amendment ahead of the crunch vote on Tuesday. (Picture: PA)

They believe his alternative proposal is unworkable and say he and his leadership team are ‘playing parliamentary games.’

Last month in the House of Lords 83 Labour peers defied Corbyn’s order to abstain and voted for UK membership of the EEA – the so-called ‘Norway model’ – after Brexit.

The result was a government defeat, one of 15 in the Lords on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which the government will attempt to overturn in a marathon 12-hour Commons debate next Tuesday.

Yesterday Corbyn and his frontbench came up with their own ‘solution’ offering a ‘bespoke’ deal which would see shared UK-EU institutions and regulations.

Labour leader Mr Corbyn said: ‘We are confident we can build a new relationship with the EU. We want the UK to have a better deal than the Norway model.’

Sources within the party say they are confident they can negotiate full access to the single market without accepting free movement.

They also said they could secure exemptions from the EU’s state aid rules and competition policy, despite them being central to the operation of the single market.

It is also hoped the move would avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland.

Chris Leslie has accused Corbyn’s amendment as being a chance to help out the Conservative. (Picture: PA)

It is understood Labour MPs will be ordered to abstain on the Lords EEA amendment and instead vote for the Corbyn amendment on Tuesday.

However Remainers within Labour have insisted backing the Lords amendment was the best hope of securing a ‘soft’ exit from the EU and attacked the new Corbyn proposal.

Former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie said: ‘We should not be in the business of bailing out Theresa May when she’s facing rebellion on the single market.’

Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP Neil Coyle added: ‘Many of us will be supporting the EEA amendment from Lords. Not any lesser alternative.’

Ex-cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw said Tory MPs would not vote for a Labour frontbench amendment and if the party is ‘serious’ about avoiding a hard Brexit ‘we must vote for the existing backbench cross-party Lords amendment’.

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Chuka Umunna – a supporter of the pro-EU Open Britain campaign – said: ‘All the way through the passage of this Bill, the only amendments which have commanded support on both sides of the House and passed are cross-party backbench ones.



‘So, if we are serious about ‘protecting full access to the internal market of the EU’ and ensuring ‘no new impediments to trade’, logic dictates Labour MPs should be whipped to support the cross-party EEA amendment sent to us by the House of Lords.’

Chuka Umunna says the EEA amendment must be supported. (Picture: Getty)

MPs have been told that losing key Brexit votes in the Commons next week could have a ‘catastrophic’ impact on the Government.

Among the 15 amendments up for debate is one that gives power to MPs to send Prime Minister Theresa May back to Brussels if they do not like the deal she negotiates.

This so-called ‘meaningful vote’ amendment would give the Lords a potential veto over Brexit and could be used by the Commons to ‘reverse Brexit’ at the last minute, Brexiteers have claimed.

Another amendment removes the date of Brexit, March 29, 2019, from the Bill.

Meanwhile, a YouGov survey has found that disagreement with Britain’s decision to quit the European Union has reached its highest point since the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The poll found 47% of voters thought the decision to leave was wrong, against just 40% who said it was the right thing to do – the widest margin since the weekly survey began two years ago.

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