Umunna: Leaked EU Parliament resolution undermines Brexit promises

A leaked European Parliament resolution on the red lines for Brexit has undermined the government’s message, Chuka Umunna has said.

The leaked resolution said the UK will not be given similar benefits as being in the Single Market and Customs Union and that the country won’t be able to start negotiating trade deals with non-EU countries in advance of its withdrawal.

This comes as Theresa May this afternoon triggered Article 50. In a speech to Parliament she said “We understand that there will be consequences for the UK of leaving the EU. We know that we will lose influence over the rules that affect the European economy. We know that UK companies that trade with the EU will have to align with rules agreed by institutions of which we are no longer a part, just as we do in other overseas markets. We accept that.”

Umunna said the leak “lays bare the risks for Britain that lie ahead in the negotiations, not least the difficulties facing the Government in trying to deliver on their pledge of getting a trade deal that delivers the ‘exact same benefits’ as we have today.”

He also criticised the government’s “rosy rhetoric” and said the British people were likely to be disappointed by the deal. Umunna is a leading supporter of Open Britain, the campaign to stop the government from pursuing a hard Brexit.

The document also showed that parallelism is not an option. Instead substantial progress has to be made on the withdrawal agreement before talks can start on transition or future trade. A future trade deal can only be agreed once the withdrawal agreement is agreed