,
15 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
A point for Labour MPs/members to consider.
Labour policy is (essentially) to support a customs union (CU) plus sticking to EU rules on environment/workers rights, plus as much access to the single market as possible.
A CU means accepting State aid (and competition) rules.
“Access” to the single market is vague: but it looks as if Labour is happy with alignment to EU regulation on goods and services.
Adding all that up, you have agreed most of the elements of the single market. What’s missing? It can only be free movement of people. Which most members of the Labour Party rather like.
You are entitled to push for a customs union instead of membership of the single market. But don’t kid yourself that the difference is about anything much apart from freedom of movement.
Also remember that the idea of a CU where the U.K. and EU co-determine tariffs, FTAs (such as TTIP) etc is a large unicorn. Consultation is the most you can get. And a CU requires following EU customs rules rigidly and to the letter (supervised by the ECJ).
The EEA shows, though, that some flexibility can be built into “carrying over” single market rules. Read Article 102 EEA Agreement.
And many regulatory rules come from wider international agreements anyway.
If you’re worried about sovereignty, therefore, it isn’t obvious that a CU infringes our sovereignty more than does remaining in the SM.
As I said, there’s nothing necessarily illogical about wanting a CU + the other things Labour is calling for while rejecting EEA/EFTA. But be honest to yourselves and clear to others what the reasons really are.
PS it’s also worth bearing in mind that EEA/EFTA is best thought of as a shorthand. It may be that the right arrangement for the U.K. (and the EFTA countries) is an Association Agreement that draws on the EEA framework and (perhaps) docks into its institutions.
There is a lot of detail that has to be thought about. But what matters now is deciding whether the general objective should be staying in the SM and accepting some form of dynamic alignment process that works well enough for the U.K. and EU.
If that isn’t the objective, be honest about why. /ends
Should be “less”, not “more”.
