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| Labour frontbencher hints at support for referendum on Brexit terms Labour frontbencher hints at support for referendum on Brexit terms | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A senior Labour frontbencher has left the door open to supporting a referendum on the terms of the UK leaving the EU, saying the Brexit process had to be taken “step by step”. | A senior Labour frontbencher has left the door open to supporting a referendum on the terms of the UK leaving the EU, saying the Brexit process had to be taken “step by step”. |
| Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, was asked about Labour’s position on a possible referendum about the final deal negotiated by Theresa May on BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday. | Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, was asked about Labour’s position on a possible referendum about the final deal negotiated by Theresa May on BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday. |
| “I think that we need to take this in stages and at the moment we cannot even have a debate as to how it is that we are going to leave the European Union because the government claim they are keeping their cards to their chest. But we know they don’t have any cards and they don’t even know what game they are playing,” she said. | “I think that we need to take this in stages and at the moment we cannot even have a debate as to how it is that we are going to leave the European Union because the government claim they are keeping their cards to their chest. But we know they don’t have any cards and they don’t even know what game they are playing,” she said. |
| Pushed again on the issue, Thornberry said the process needed to be taken “step by step”. | Pushed again on the issue, Thornberry said the process needed to be taken “step by step”. |
| Campaigners for Britain to stay in the single market are beginning to mobilise in a more organised way across the parties, aiming to force May to reveal the broad outline of her strategy before triggering article 50 at the end of March. | Campaigners for Britain to stay in the single market are beginning to mobilise in a more organised way across the parties, aiming to force May to reveal the broad outline of her strategy before triggering article 50 at the end of March. |
| The former prime ministers Tony Blair and John Major both suggested this week that the public should be allowed to vote on – or even veto – any deal on leaving the EU. | The former prime ministers Tony Blair and John Major both suggested this week that the public should be allowed to vote on – or even veto – any deal on leaving the EU. |
| Thornberry was questioned on whether she believed the UK could maintain access to the European single market while also demanding immigration control and an end to free movement. | Thornberry was questioned on whether she believed the UK could maintain access to the European single market while also demanding immigration control and an end to free movement. |
| “It is about time we stopped talking about believing in cake, having our cake and eating our cake,” she said. “We have to look at the options and we have to know that it is a trade-off. We need to be able to have a proper debate within the British public as to what the options are.” | “It is about time we stopped talking about believing in cake, having our cake and eating our cake,” she said. “We have to look at the options and we have to know that it is a trade-off. We need to be able to have a proper debate within the British public as to what the options are.” |
| She said the priority in negotiating a Brexit deal should be the economy, but appeared to also support greater controls on immigration, saying: “Now, do I think that too many people at the moment come into this country? I think that yes, I think they do.” | She said the priority in negotiating a Brexit deal should be the economy, but appeared to also support greater controls on immigration, saying: “Now, do I think that too many people at the moment come into this country? I think that yes, I think they do.” |
| Her comments are slightly at odds with the position of Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, who maintained in an interview with the Guardian this week that Labour should stand up for free movement. | Her comments are slightly at odds with the position of Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, who maintained in an interview with the Guardian this week that Labour should stand up for free movement. |
| “You cannot have access to the single market or be part of the single market without freedom of movement. It’s time people started acknowledging that,” Abbott said. | “You cannot have access to the single market or be part of the single market without freedom of movement. It’s time people started acknowledging that,” Abbott said. |
| “Those of us who are arguing for the least harmful Brexit have to be clear to people that there is no deal to be done on freedom of movement, and to imperil our economic interests as a country because of anti-immigrant feeling would scarcely be responsible.” | “Those of us who are arguing for the least harmful Brexit have to be clear to people that there is no deal to be done on freedom of movement, and to imperil our economic interests as a country because of anti-immigrant feeling would scarcely be responsible.” |
| The mobilising campaign to keep the UK in the single market and have a referendum on the terms of the deal has alarmed many Brexit campaigners who believe there should be a clean break with the EU. | The mobilising campaign to keep the UK in the single market and have a referendum on the terms of the deal has alarmed many Brexit campaigners who believe there should be a clean break with the EU. |
| It was reported in the Sunday Times that Mark Carney, the Bank of England governor, backs a transitional deal with the EU to cushion the impact for businesses until at least 2021. | It was reported in the Sunday Times that Mark Carney, the Bank of England governor, backs a transitional deal with the EU to cushion the impact for businesses until at least 2021. |
| In the same newspaper, May expressed a desire to “get on with the deal”, while admitting the issues keep her awake at night. | In the same newspaper, May expressed a desire to “get on with the deal”, while admitting the issues keep her awake at night. |
| Michael Gove, one of the architects of Brexit and a former cabinet minister, told Andrew Marr: “I think when people voted to leave the European Union they voted to take back control of our money, our laws, trade deals and our borders. | Michael Gove, one of the architects of Brexit and a former cabinet minister, told Andrew Marr: “I think when people voted to leave the European Union they voted to take back control of our money, our laws, trade deals and our borders. |
| “That means that the single market, that is basically a bureaucratic web, we need to be out of. And the customs union, in so far as it prevents us forging trade deals with other countries, we should be out of that too.” | “That means that the single market, that is basically a bureaucratic web, we need to be out of. And the customs union, in so far as it prevents us forging trade deals with other countries, we should be out of that too.” |
| Responding to Carney’s reported views, the former justice secretary said: “I’m open to the case for a transitional agreement but I’m not convinced we need one. Again, there is a tendency to overcomplicate this process.” | Responding to Carney’s reported views, the former justice secretary said: “I’m open to the case for a transitional agreement but I’m not convinced we need one. Again, there is a tendency to overcomplicate this process.” |
| He said he was worried there were “some people who can’t get over the fact that the British people have voted to leave the EU and want us to have a transitional arrangement which is as close as possible [to EU membership]”. | He said he was worried there were “some people who can’t get over the fact that the British people have voted to leave the EU and want us to have a transitional arrangement which is as close as possible [to EU membership]”. |
| Gove defended his remark during the EU referendum campaign that the public had “had enough of experts” from organisations known by their acronyms, saying he had been referring to a “subclass” who get things wrong. | Gove defended his remark during the EU referendum campaign that the public had “had enough of experts” from organisations known by their acronyms, saying he had been referring to a “subclass” who get things wrong. |
| “The point I made is not that all experts are wrong, that’s manifestly nonsense – expert engineers, expert doctors, expert physicists – but there is a subclass of experts, particularly economists, pollsters, social scientists, who really do need to reflect on some of the mistakes that they’ve made in the same way as a politician I’ve reflected on some of the mistakes that I’ve made.” | “The point I made is not that all experts are wrong, that’s manifestly nonsense – expert engineers, expert doctors, expert physicists – but there is a subclass of experts, particularly economists, pollsters, social scientists, who really do need to reflect on some of the mistakes that they’ve made in the same way as a politician I’ve reflected on some of the mistakes that I’ve made.” |
| Separately, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has written to the UK’s political parties telling them to tone down their rhetoric. | Separately, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has written to the UK’s political parties telling them to tone down their rhetoric. |
| “We are concerned that attacks on supporters of both sides of the Brexit debate have polarised many parts of the country,” the watchdog said. “There are those who used, and continue to use, public concern about immigration policy and the economy to legitimise hate.” | “We are concerned that attacks on supporters of both sides of the Brexit debate have polarised many parts of the country,” the watchdog said. “There are those who used, and continue to use, public concern about immigration policy and the economy to legitimise hate.” |