Starmer’s 92 EU surrender staff have been busy working on their path to steer Britain back to Brussels, with The Times reporting Labour plans to sign the UK up to an “Australian-style” Youth Mobility Scheme with the EU – reopening the door to free movement. Despite repeated assurances from the government that Britain wouldn’t join, Labour is preparing to let tens of thousands of 18-30-year-olds from the EU live and work here. Which obviously comes with concessions…
As Guido has said, this deal comes with a huge price tag. UK negotiators have reportedly caved to EU demands on food safety alignment and carbon “cap and trade” allowances – all under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. Cue more Brussels red tape and tighter restrictions on key innovations such as genetic modification in agriculture something Defra secretary Steve Reed gave the green light on just months ago. The EU is also pushing hard for a cave-in on fishing rights. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp tells Guido:
“This would be a complete capitulation. Submitting to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and accepting EU regulations, while having no say whatsoever over those regulations, makes no sense. We should continue using our freedoms outside the EU to strike new trade deals and lighten regulatory burdens on industry, not adopt stifling EU regulations that stymie growth. We would also have no control whatsoever over how these regulations change in the future. And knowing the EU, these would likely only get more and more restrictive on business over time. This will be the final nail in the coffin for any hope of growth under Labour.”
Labour’s road to rejoin is well underway…
UPDATE: Matthew Lesh, Public Policy Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs said:
“Realigning EU standards would represent the worst of both worlds. Not only would Britain be forced to follow often cumbersome, disproportionate and excessively cautionary EU rules, but we would also get practically no say in their formulation and evolution. This alignment could severely restrict the UK’s ability to negotiate new trade agreements, notably with the United States, and might jeopardise existing deals with nations like Australia and New Zealand. We would have to undo changes to gene editing rules made by the last government, that have the potential to increase crop yields, reduce environmental impacts and get down prices for consumers. Then there would be the lost opportunities going forward to make Britian a hub for other food innovations, like cultivated meat.”
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”