Can Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn reach a satisfactory compromise on Brexit? The two leaders’ positions are not, in fact, that far apart. Neither wants a second referendum. They both think that the referendum result means that Britain has to leave the EU. Yet neither wants a dramatic rupture. They would prefer to inch away from the union.
Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s chief of staff, has remarked that half of what Labour has asked for in the cross-party Brexit talks has already been requested from the EU but to no avail. Even on customs, the standout issue, the differences between Labour and the Conservatives are more semantic than anything else. The government’s proposed backstop is, in effect, a provisional UK-wide customs union with the EU, which is not that different from the permanent customs union that Labour wants.
The problem for May and Corbyn is the lack of enthusiasm for a cross-party deal in their respective parties.
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