Jeremy Corbyn today vows to slash the number of EU migrant workers as he continues his Trump-inspired rebrand and abandons his decades-held belief in free movement. Corbyn will use a speech in Leave stronghold Peterborough to say: “Labour is not wedded to freedom of movement for EU citizens”, instead demanding “reasonably managed migration”. Jezza will pledge to “close down cheap labour loopholes” and “ban exclusive advertising of jobs abroad”, adding:

“That would have the effect of reducing numbers of EU migrant workers in the most deregulated sectors, regardless of the final Brexit deal.”

This is at odds with what Corbyn believes, indeed with what he has said in the last few months. In September he told Sky News: “I don’t particularly want us to go down the road of having to have a hard border between Britain and Europe”, adding “we need to maintain that free movement”. In October the Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott insisted to the Morning Star that “Freedom of movement is a workers’ right”. Corbyn’s team have previously admitted “Jeremy is not concerned about numbers”.

A win for Labour moderates, the likes of Keir Starmer and Gerard Coyne, who have been calling for a tougher stance. The problem is that under Corbyn it is completely unbelievable. Voters know what Jezza really thinks about immigration, he polls at around 12% on the issue when compared to Theresa May…