Labour leadership contender Jess Phillips has signalled she could campaign for the UK to rejoin the European Union at the next general election, prioritising the issue over other key challenges facing the party. The Birmingham Yardley MP made the pledge during an interview on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, as the contest to succeed Jeremy Corbyn officially begins.
Phillips, who backed Remain and a second referendum, said she would decide on her stance closer to the next election, but remained convinced of the benefits of EU membership. “If our country is safer, if it is more economically viable to be in the EU, then I will fight for that, regardless of how difficult that argument is to make,” she said. Her position contrasts with that of shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer, who insists the debate must move on now that the UK is leaving the EU this month.
Starmer told the BBC: “We are going to leave the EU in the next few weeks; and it’s important for all of us, including myself, to realise that the argument for leave and remain goes with it.” He argued that the focus should shift to the UK’s future relationship with the EU as a non-member. Norwich South MP Clive Lewis, a co-founder of the Love Socialism Hate Brexit group, also warned against rehashing the leave/remain debate, saying: “The fight now is about the kind of country we’re going to be.”
The Labour leadership election is expected to conclude by the end of March, with the party’s national executive committee meeting on Monday to confirm rules. Candidates must secure nominations from 21 MPs or MEPs, as well as backing from unions or local parties. Leading left-wing candidate Rebecca Long Bailey is preparing to formally launch her bid, while Angela Rayner will kick off her campaign for deputy leader in Stockport on Tuesday.
Phillips identified Labour’s lack of trustworthiness as a key factor in its poor general election performance, rather than its stance on Brexit. “The fundamental thing is that the country didn’t trust us to govern. It didn’t trust us to deliver on what we promised,” she said.
