Labour wants to have its cake and eat it over Brexit, but at what cost?

The party’s position on EU withdrawal is determined by its strategy for the next general election – but as Tom Kibasi explains, it is taking a huge risk by not advocating for a second referendum

Can Labour find a compelling position on Brexit? (EPA)

Since the referendum result in 2016, Labour’s political strategy has been to walk a middle line between Leavers and Remainers: it has neither embraced Brexit nor taken steps to prevent Britain leaving the EU. It opposes the extremism of no-deal but is not prepared to support ‘no Brexit’. Its position is for soft Brexit, triangulating between the instruction to Leave and the economic concerns of those who voted to Remain.

That means a permanent customs union, alignment with the single market, and compromise on freedom of movement. Jeremy Corbyn’s letter to the prime minister of 6^th February set out Labour’s Brexit plan clearly and coherently. What is distinctive about Labour’s plan for Brexit is that it honours the vote to leave while maintaining a close partnership with the EU such that it is capable of securing the consent of those who voted to stay. It has more than fulfilled its responsibility as the Opposition.

The Labour plan appears to be based on the IPPR paper ‘the Shared Market’, first published in December 2017, which I co-authored. In fact, its first outing was not to the Labour leadership but to David Davis and Steve Baker at the Department for Exiting the European Union.