Wes Streeting pushes for Brexit unravelling claiming Britain should join EU customs union | Politics | News
Wes Streeting has suggested Labor must go further to resolve Brexit, claiming the UK and government want closer ties with Europe. The Health Secretary has suggested the UK could rejoin the EU customs union as he advocates for a “deeper trading relationship” with Europe to boost economic growth.
He told The Observer: “The reason why leaving the EU has such an impact on us as a country is because of the huge economic benefits that come with being in the single market and the customs union.
“This is a country and a government that wants a closer trading relationship with Europe. The challenge is that any economic partnership we have cannot lead to a return to freedom of movement.”
This would rule out rejoining the single market, which would require UK-EU free movement, but would leave open the possibility of a customs union.
Mr Streeting added: “We took a huge economic blow by leaving the European Union. I’m really disturbed by the level of taxation in this country.”
“We’re asking a lot of individual taxpayers, we’re asking a lot of businesses. We have a level of indebtedness that we need to take very seriously. The best way to deliver more growth to our economy is to have a deeper trading relationship with the EU.”
Sir Keir Starmer negotiated a trade deal with the EU in May that included major concessions on fisheries and bureaucratic red tape. Mr Streeting said the deal was a “good start” but he wanted to go further.
The government insists it will fulfill its manifesto commitment to stay out of the customs union and single market without a return to freedom of movement.
But there is pressure from within the Labor Party to go further; 13 MPs rebelled this month to support the Liberal Democrats’ motion to rejoin the customs union.
