U.K.'s Labour Backs Single-Market Membership During Brexit
- Shift could win support from rebel pro-EU Conservatives
- Davis calls for EU to use ‘imagination’ for Brexit to progress
An attendee, wearing a red suit and a red hat, wears badges emblazoned with the Labour logo at the annual conference of the U.K. opposition Labour Party in Liverpool, U.K., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, will order his rebellious lawmakers to fall into line behind him and prepare for a general election he’ll say he expects Prime Minister Theresa May to call next year.
Photographer: Luke MacGregor/BloombergThe U.K.’s opposition Labour Party wants Britain to stay in the European Union’s single market for an extended period after it leaves the bloc, a shift in its position that could undermine Prime Minister Theresa May’s efforts to deliver her vision of Brexit.
The proposal, which would mean no additional customs or migration controls in March 2019, would allow more time to finalize details of the U.K.’s departure, and give government and business time to prepare, Labour’s Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said. It would also eliminate the need to negotiate a transitional arrangement at the same time as a final deal.