Can Jeremy Corbyn’s big Brexit speech be classed as a success? It really depends on who you think it was aimed at. Unsurprisingly the softening of Labour’s Brexit stance has been welcomed by the party’s Remain-backing membership. On top of that, the Labour leader managed to please big business – for a change. Corbyn’s announcement that Labour would back the UK staying in ‘a’ customs union with the EU post-Brexit has been praised by the Institute of Directiors while the CBI say the policy would ‘put jobs and living standards first’.
However, sceptics argue that the target audience for the speech was actually the Conservative party. With Anna Soubry tabling an amendment to the trade bill calling for the UK to form ‘a’ customs union, Labour’s support on the issue means that Theresa May could now face defeat. The government is so worried about it that that the vote has been delayed and there’s talk that they may make it into a confidence vote in order to coerce Remain-backing Tories to play ball. Are
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