Brexit: Jeremy Corbyn to tell EU's chief negotiator he is ready to lead talks if UK government changes

‘A Labour Brexit would look very different to the race-to-the-bottom tax haven backed by this Conservative Government’

Labour would avoid the 'megaphone diplomacy' employed by the Conservatives, Mr Corbyn will say (PA)

Jeremy Corbyn will tell the EU's chief Brexit negotiator that he is ready to take up responsibility for negotiating Britain's withdrawal from the EU if there is a change in government.

In a meeting with Michel Barnier in Brussels, he will promise that Labour would avoid the "megaphone diplomacy" employed by the Conservatives.

The meeting comes just a day after Mr Barnier slapped down Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson for saying the EU could "go whistle" for a divorce payment from the UK, telling him: "I'm not hearing any whistling, just the clock ticking."

Mr Barnier will also meet Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones for private talks ahead of the second round of formal negotiations in Brussels next week.

But he stressed that he will negotiate only with the UK Government.

The meetings come as Brexit Secretary David Davis publishes the Great Repeal Bill which will overturn the 1972 European Communities Act and incorporate all relevant EU laws on to the UK statute book, so they can later be abolished or amended by Westminster.

Mr Corbyn, who is joined in Brussels by shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, will tell Mr Barnier that Labour's approach to EU withdrawal would be "very different" from Theresa May's Conservatives.

Speaking ahead of his visit, the Labour leader said: "Labour is a government in waiting and we are ready to take up the responsibility for Brexit negotiations.

"Labour respects the referendum result and the decision to leave the European Union.

"But a Labour Brexit would look very different to the race-to-the-bottom tax haven backed by this Conservative Government.

"In contrast to the Conservatives' megaphone diplomacy, we will conduct relations with our European neighbours respectfully and in the spirit of friendship.

"Our strong links with our European sister parties gives Labour an advantage in reaching an outcome that works for both sides."

On the key issues on the table in withdrawal talks, Mr Corbyn said: "Labour would negotiate a jobs-first Brexit deal which puts the economy, jobs and living standards front and centre.

"Labour would unilaterally guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the UK because it's the right thing to do.

"Labour wants to work with other countries to build a different Europe, one which promotes human rights and environmental protections, celebrates the positive and complementary contributions of European nations, and where trade is fair and sustainable."

Meanwhile, Mr Jones said he hoped to use his meeting with Mr Barnier to stress the need for smooth transitional arrangements and voice his determination to avoid a disorderly Brexit without a deal on future trade relations.

"My primary responsibility as First Minister of Wales will always be to get the best deal for Welsh jobs and the Welsh economy," he said.

"With 67 per cent of Welsh exports going to Europe, it is absolutely vital that we retain full and unfettered access to the single market. It would be irresponsible to turn our back on this.

"Our friends and neighbours in Europe will continue to be our friends and neighbours after we leave the EU, and we need to find a way forward together to address our common challenges.

"It is in no-one's interest, least of all of those of us who passionately want to maintain the closest economic ties with our European neighbours, for there to be no deal or a hugely painful rupture between the UK and the EU. We will do all we can to prevent this."

Mr Jones, who backed Remain in the EU referendum in which Wales voted Leave last year, said he hoped to demonstrate to Mr Barnier that there were "parts of the UK that are prepared to engage constructively with the EU-27, rather than indulge in playing to the gallery".

He said he would present the chief EU negotiator with a copy of the Welsh Government's Brexit white paper, which focuses on the need to balance concerns over immigration with the need for continued UK participation in the single market.

Press Association