Brexit: Keir Starmer signals Labour may back EU trade deal in Commons vote

Labour leader admits ‘different opinions’ within party over backing any free trade agreement

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (EPA)

Sir Keir Starmer has given his strongest hint yet that he is planning to order Labour MPs to back a Brexit deal if agreement is reached before the 31 December deadline.

The Labour leader said he would look at the detail of any agreement with the EU before deciding whether to offer his party’s support, but added: “If the choice is a deal or no-deal, then a deal is obviously in the national interest.”

With negotiators David Frost and Michel Barnier apparently inching closer to agreement, Sir Keir admitted there were splits within his shadow cabinet on the issue.

But he insisted that when it came to a vote “we’ll pull together, discuss it as a team and be united.”

A Labour commitment to support a deal in Westminster would give Boris Johnson more leeway to make concessions to Brussels, by removing the ability of hardline eurosceptic Tories to block anything they regard as a softer Brexit.

But Sir Keir is under pressure from within his own party to abstain, with shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds, shadow trade secretary Emily Thornberry and shadow justice secretary David Lammy reported to be among those arguing that the party should ensure that the Conservatives “own” any eventual agreement.

Meanwhile, shadow business minister Lucy Powell warned that abstaining would amount to “putting two fingers up” to former Labour supporters who back Brexit.

Speaking during a visit to Portsmouth, Sir Keir accepted that there were “different opinions” within the party on the best way to handle the political hot potato.

And he stopped well short of a commitment on which way Labour will vote.

“Obviously, we’ll look at the detail of it as soon as we see it,” said the Labour leader. “But the job at the moment for the government is to finish negotiations and get that deal over the line, because that’s what’s in the national interest.”

He added: “We don’t know there will be a deal. I hope there will.

“As soon as there’s a deal, we’ll look at it. But if the choice is a deal or no-deal then a deal is obviously in the national interest.”

The decision is finely-balanced for Labour, as many of its Remain-backing voters would view the bare-bones FTA being sought by Mr Johnson with horror. Some within the party believe that giving assent for any deal would rob Labour of the opportunity to later hold Tories to account for the economic damage and disruption expected as a result of Brexit.

But abstention is certain to be seized upon by Mr Johnson as a further sign of weakness following this week’s decision to abstain on Covid restrictions, as well an indication that Starmer remains fundamentally opposed to EU withdrawal.

Ms Powell told HuffPost UK: “Brexit was a big symbolic expression of Labour losing touch with its traditional voter base.

“And we can’t keep putting two fingers up to people if we want them to vote for us again and support us and be part of the agenda that we want for the future.”

The Manchester Central MP said that Labour would have negotiated a softer Brexit. But she said any deal secured by Mr Johnson would at least provide something that can be “built on”, while no-deal would be a “catastrophe”.