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Any withdrawal agreement will probably require a backstop, Labor Secretary Brexit Keir Starmer said, admitting for the first time that renegotiation would be unlikely before the UK leaves the EU.
Mr Starmer has already strongly criticized the support mechanism, which would keep the United Kingdom in an effective customs union as an insurance policy designed to prevent a hard border in Northern Ireland, without any unilateral rights for the Kingdom. United to leave open the border can be found.
However, Starmer suggested Sunday that the Labor Party was willing to maintain the terms of the withdrawal agreement as long as any other key changes would be made, such as a commitment to support the government. a permanent and complete customs union and a perfect alignment in the EU's single market.
"At this point, any deal probably requires a backstop and we have to recognize it," he said. "There are problems with this backstop and we have to recognize it, but as we are at this stage of the exercise, it's been almost two years since the chances of an agreement without backstop are very slim" .
The EU has repeatedly said that no changes could be made to the legally binding withdrawal agreement between Theresa May and the EU leaders that contained the terms of the backstop .
It is more likely that changes can be made to the non-legally binding political declaration, which defines the direction of future relations between Britain and the EU.
A source of manpower said the policy had long been an insurance option for Northern Ireland, but that it was much less likely to be used if the intention was to negotiate a permanent agreement on the customs union.
The source stated that Starmer's view reflected the reality of the short time available and that the majority of the changes that the work would require would concern the political declaration, as well as clarifications on the scope of the withdrawal agreement.
Starmer said the prime minister should be ready to change his red lines to engage in constructive talks with Labor – but if that were not possible, the party should consider supporting a second referendum.
"If she does not, it's very difficult to see where we're going now. That's why, at the conference, we decided to break the stalemate if we find ourselves in a dead end, which is why you need an option of a public vote, "he said. -he declares.
Starmer denied that the Labor Party would automatically seek to block any agreement proposed by the Prime Minister. "I have been saying for two years that we will faithfully review any agreement reached, as we did on Tuesday," he said.
"If she got up on Tuesday [after the meaningful vote] and stated that she was truly ready to consider other options – but she has not done so yet. She is the block. "
Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said his party would not start talks with the prime minister until she promised not to take the UK out of the country. 39 European Union without an agreement.
"If she moved in that space and said: my red lines are gone, I'm not going to hold the gun in your head, no solution, it would change the position incredibly," said Starmer.
The Secretary of Brexit's shadow again stressed that he felt that an extension of the schedule of Article 50 was inevitable.
"It is extremely difficult to see how the Prime Minister can achieve what needs to be done in 68 days, and therefore I think it is inevitable that section 50 will be extended. And the prime minister is responsible for that, "he said.
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