The Brexit Thread

[Lang Spoon]

Fuckin knew it. No good or god in Henry’s shitpile kirk.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Jeremy Corbyn could use a key Brexit speech on Monday to pave the way for Labour to inflict a Commons defeat on the government, by backing a rebel Tory amendment seeking to keep Britain in “a customs union”.

With Theresa May expected to unveil her vision for departure from the EU next week, following eight hours of talks with key ministers at the prime minister’s Chequers country retreat, she now faces the prospect of Labour sabotaging the carefully choreographed process.

In what will be a closely watched speech, Corbyn is expected to signal that Labour is prepared to back the UK staying in a customs union with the EU.

Fingers crossed.

[Benjm]

Henry’s shitpile kirk.

A potential Viz story title strong enough to create false memories of having actually read it.

The CoE's role in national life is to seem silly and ineffectual. Trying to out-sinister the Mothership is a doomed enterprise.

[N est à?]

Heh, does 'the mothership' refer to the Catholic church or the tory party there? Either works

[Ginger Yellow]

FT reporting that Labour are going to try to thread the needle in a really tortuous way.

Labour will argue that the UK could have a unique customs union arrangement with the EU that would differ from current deals with non-member countries, such as Turkey. The EU’s agreement with Ankara is contentious because it forces the country to align its trade policy with the bloc but does not give it a vote on EU free trade deals. Also, it does not give Turkey automatic access to markets of EU trading partners.

The party believes — perhaps optimistically — that Britain could have a bilateral arrangement with Brussels under which the UK would have the same tariffs and quotas as the EU, but would have some say in how they were set.

This is never going to happen unless the UK is a member state. And unlike other opposition policies that are never going to happen, it's not even a good campaigning tool. What do we want? Some input into tariff setting! When do we want it? At the end of an indefinite transitional period in which we are subject to the acquis!

[johnr]

I'd be surprised if, given the talks that Starmer etc have been having with Barnier and other member states, that any 'evolving' Labour proposal would be way out of line with what is possible/negotiable, that would be very silly.

'Unlike other oppostion policies that are never going to happen' - which ones?

[Ginger Yellow]

I mean, that's just the nature of many policies that an opposition party proposes. You propose something that sounds good and provides a sharp contrast to the ruling party. Very often, it gets quietly dropped or heavily watered down if the opposition gains power. For Labour, currently, I'd put the nationalisation programme in that category, at least in its maximalist form.

[E10 Rifle]

I wouldn't describe Stephen Bush as a Sensible. He's too reality-based for that (and pretty much the only reason for reading the New Statesman)

[Moonlight Shadow]

Pretty unambiguous statement by Hunt re customs union, of any kind...

[Tubby Isaacs]

I wouldn't describe Stephen Bush as a Sensible. He's too reality-based for that (and pretty much the only reason for reading the New Statesman)

Yes, he is good.

[E10 Rifle]

Vauxhall CLP turns on Hoey

See, party members calling their MPs to account is a good thing.

[Duncan Gardner]

Do you think they'll deselect her? Or she might retire before next GE (she'd be 76 in 2022)

[E10 Rifle]

It's really hard to deselect, but worth a go. I don't know anyone in Vauxhall CLP so hard to know how things are aligned.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I don't know what changed afterwards, but there were a few deselections in 1992. The "militant two", plus a few others where the beef with their CLPs was more personal that anything, not taking hints to retire. I think Field was in trouble, but helped by the leadership.

[E10 Rifle]

Bob Wareing got deselected in the late Blair years too

[Tubby Isaacs]

With leadership help, I presume? Blair personally blocked Liz Davies, Mike Marquese's partner, from being a candidate too.

In other news.

More
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has confirmed the Government wants to ban plastic straws but says there is "some concern" EU laws could prevent it

[E10 Rifle]

It's that 'race to the top' David Davis was trying to pretend to be interested in the other day.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yeah, the one that Patrick Minford built into his Brexit model.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Could Hoey join the DUP?

A Westminster MP has done that in the recent past.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew...sh_politician)

[E10 Rifle]

I wish she fucking would. Long overdue

[Tubby Isaacs]

This is who Vauxhall had before.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Holland

Lots of interesting stuff there.

[Duncan Gardner]

You could try fielding a candidate in BT North. Then as soon as Hoey breaks cover to support Dodds, kick her out

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ha ha. Before he fucked off to the DUP, Andrew Hunter got within 900 votes of losing Basingstoke.

Labour could be competitive there in the next election, with a Brexit clusterfuck and promises to improve trains.

[Tubby Isaacs]

We're wooing all the right people. Except that we're not, even this lot know we're mad.

https://twitter.com/GregHands/status/967049931713404928

[Dav O'Roso]

Do you think they'll deselect her? Or she might retire before next GE (she'd be 76 in 2022)

The old crone is certainly getting dogs abuse on Twitter...
Deservedly so in her case.