LABOUR’S EU MANIFESTO : Vote Labour, get Remain

7 reasons NOT to vote Labour in 13 days' time

Brexit Facts4EU.Org analyses and summarises Labour’s EU Parliament elections manifesto

Yesterday in the South-East of England Jeremy Corbyn launched the Labour Party’s manifesto for the EU Parliament elections which take place in just under two weeks’ time.

Readers can read the full manifesto here (PDF), but for convenience we have summarised some of the key passages below.

Manifesto excerpt

Brexit Facts4EU.Org comments

Our Verdict

1. “Labour has put forward an alternative plan to seek a close and cooperative relationship with the European Union...”

We voted to leave the EU, not to get into bed with it again.

REMAIN

2. “... including a new comprehensive customs union with a UK say...”

We voted to leave the EU. Exiting the Customs Union delivers many of the economic benefits of leaving the EU. Having a ‘new, comprehensive customs union’ stops the UK from negotiating its own trade deals and negates all these benefits. Being in a customs union is an integral part of EU membership and is one of the four, indivisible pillars of it.

REMAIN

3. “... close single market alignment, guaranteed rights and standards...”

We voted to leave the EU. Labour’s policy means mirroring Single Market obligations, another integral part of EU membership, and one of the four, indivisible pillars of it. The 92% of UK businesses which do no trade with the EU would still have to obey all the rules imposed by it.

REMAIN

4. “...and the protection of the Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland.”

We voted to leave the EU. Everyone wants the Good Friday Agreement to continue. This agreement was not negotiated by the EU, but by the British and Irish governments. Leaving the EU does not threaten the agreement unless the EU deliberately wish to do so.

REMAIN

5. “We believe such a deal could bring our country back together and deliver on the result of the referendum.”

Labour’s policies amount to Remain, and most certainly do NOT deliver on the Referendum result.

REMAIN

6. “Labour will continue to oppose the Government’s bad deal or a disastrous no deal.”

The Government’s ‘deal’ is a surrender treaty which has no support. A ‘no deal’ is now the proper exit route, thanks to deliberate and incompetent negotiations by Mrs May and her Remainer civil servants. ‘No deal planning’ is now at the stage where this is THE viable and practical solution for a clean Brexit.

REMAIN

7. “And if we can’t get agreement along the lines of our alternative plan, or a general election, Labour backs the option of a public vote.”

Crucially, given that the EU will not agree to Labour’s “alternative plan”, (over two years of negotiations have proved this), and given that a general election is not in Labour’s gift, this leaves the ‘public vote’. This is more commonly known by the term “Referendum”. We had one. The people voted to leave. The decision of the people must be delivered, or a second ‘Losers Vote’ has no legitimacy.

REMAIN

The extracts above come from the Foreward by Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, in Labour’s manifesto for the elections to the EU Parliament in 13 days’ time.

Other contradictions

It is impossible not to comment on a couple of other issues contained in Labour’s manifesto.

1. Delivering rights and protections at work

In this section Labour says “EU laws underpin our rights to paid holidays, maternity and paternity leave, and on limiting working time.”

In the very next section (“Campaigning for equality”), they say: “Labour is the party of equality. We brought in the Equal Pay Act, the Sex Discrimination Act, the Equality Act, and the Minimum Wage. Every progressive piece of equality legislation has been delivered by Labour.”

So on the one hand Labour credits the EU for workers’ rights, and a few sentences later they claim that most of these rights were brought in by the UK Parliament under Labour governments.

In fact, almost all workers’ rights have happened due to UK laws being passed in the UK Parliament – nothing to do with the EU. The EU does not even require member states to have a statutory minimum wage.

2. Keeping us safe

This entire section in the manifesto does not contain a single word about the EU Defence Union nor the EU’s rapidly escalating military ambitions. Defence issues are mentioned nowhere in the document, despite defence of the Realm being the No.1 priority of Government.

Two Conservative perspectives on Labour's EU Parliamentary manifesto

Two Conservative MPs (and staunch democrats) Anne Marie Morris MP and Andrea Jenkyns MP gave Brexit Facts4EU.Org their views on the Labour manifesto

“Every voter should scrutinise party manifestos very carefully before they vote. A vote for Labour, Liberal Democrats or the Green Party will deliver Remain.”

“We did not vote for and do not want these elections but we have them and need to take our vote seriously. The country voted to leave and our vote on 23 May must send that message again. We voted to leave!”

Anne Marie Morris has been MP for Newton Abbot in Devon since 2010

“The public need to have confidence that their representatives will deliver what the country did vote for - which certainly was not a Brexit in name only.

“It’s clear that the Labour party will prevent a clean Brexit at every opportunity and it’s time for the public to speak up again. MPs need to listen to the will of the people and respect the referendum result.”

Andrea Jenkyns has been MP for Morley and Outwood since 2015,
defeating shadow chancellor Ed Balls.

Observations

Our summary is simple. Vote Labour, get Remain.

Readers know that we are party-neutral, except on matters relating to Brexit. We have judged Labour’s EU Parliamentary elections manifesto against the requirement to leave the EU, as voted for in the largest democratic vote in British history.

We urge all Labour voters to lobby hard against this manifesto using any connections they have, and most definitely to vote for a pro-Brexit candidate in the elections in 13 days’ time.

[ Sources: Labour Party manifesto for EU Parliament elections on 23 May 2019 ]

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, 10 May 2019

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Reader Comments 10

1. BrexMax, Kent , Friday, May 10, 2019, 06:25:

Interesting and very telling that we hear remainers saying on a regular basis that if some kind of false brexit (ie remain) is implemented, that would bring the country together. Strange thought, and highly unlikely. Worrying though that they became so confident and relaxed about hushing up us brexiteers, that they can't help thinking they can do whatever they please. We brexiteers have to fight back much stronger.

2. Patrick F , Friday, May 10, 2019, 06:33:

Consider it done!
The Labour party, for the few not the many, for the EU, not for you, for technocracy, not democracy.
This is from the Tories' election communication leaflet:
"Nigel Farage and other parties which are standing for personal gain (?) just getting more publicity (?) - but not actually getting us closer to delivering a deal (?) and getting Brexit done (?)"
Who, in the name of Gary Lineker wrote that?
The Brexit party, on the other hand have a short, punchy slogan:
"Changing politics for good."
Brexit party, I will be sending you an X

3. Sydney Ashurst , Friday, May 10, 2019, 07:42:

Labour MEP Paul Brannen: Labour is a Remain Party, Labour will stop Brexit.
The TUC rant and rave as though we are still in the 19th Century.

4. Paul A , Friday, May 10, 2019, 08:12:

THE DEFINITION OF LEAVE
Unlike our so called “democratic leaders” the British people know what “Leave” means;
Returning to the constitutional position Britain was in before we were illegally signed into the EU. Enjoying the status of a sovereign democratic country with our own Parliament, laws and constitution with the right to set our own tariffs, enter international agreements and trade world wide.
None of this, not one little bit, is obtainable with either May's abominable “Withdrawal Agreement” nor Corbyn's dishonest and disingenuous manifesto.
However, all of that, every bit, is enjoyed by some 160 independent nation states in the world.

5. James Bertram , Friday, May 10, 2019, 08:28:

Letter sent to my local newspaper (perhaps it might inspire others to write similar; too, where it applies to other party leaflets):
European Election Leaflet - Conservatives
I have just received the Conservative European Election leaflet. It has to be the most dishonest material to ever arrive through my letter box. In other spheres of life there would be some body to report it to - Trading Standards, Advertising Standards Authority, Serious Fraud Office - but not for political literature, it would seem. Why?

6. Sydney Ashurst , Friday, May 10, 2019, 08:39:

The BBC’s latest Brexit documentary shows the contempt in which the EU negotiators hold us.
Chris Wood at Brexit Central.
The programme ends with two of the EU team revelling in what had been achieved and saying about the UK people, “We got rid of them. We kicked them out. We finally turned them into a colony, and that was our plan from the first moment.”

7. James Bertram , Friday, May 10, 2019, 09:15:

Thanks, Sydney.
Inspired me to send an email to my arch-Remainer Tory Minister, Anne Milton:
'Dear Anne,
It is worth watching Behind Closed Doors on BBC4.
Chris Wood gives an overview on Brexit Central website today:
'The programme ends with two of the EU team revelling in what had been achieved and saying about the UK people, “We got rid of them. We kicked them out. We finally turned them into a colony, and that was our plan from the first moment.”
You must be proud of your complicity.
Yours sincerely,

8. Horrified at 'bubble's' Brexit shambles , Friday, May 10, 2019, 09:39:

The worst of the lot are the Liberal party allied now to the "B*llocks to Brexit" and that Guy now in London......
Says it all about the liberals (B*llocks to Brexit)
Says it all about labour (get remain or marxism - not much difference)
Says it all about conservative (does anyone know what they stand for?)
Whilst this uncertainty continues the country is doomed to fail. Whilst the PM remains the country will fail.
Please God, let there be a change of PM and a Brexit party in Westminster clearing the swamp.

9. John T, Devon , Friday, May 10, 2019, 10:37:

Here's my suggestion for a leaflet for basically any of the current parties:
"Yes, we all know that we're a complete shambles.
The funny thing is - and we know it's unbelievable - but at the moment there are even worse politicians out there than us."
I think this message is crisp, to the point, clear and it's even honest (for a change). Parties, please contact me for copyright.

10. Adam Hiley , Wednesday, May 15, 2019, 17:34:

You have to be seriously Mentally unbalanced to contemplate even vote Corbyn's Labour the Tories incredibly are only in Power because of Grandpa Corbyn and His Politics for Dummies approach to being a Government in waiting We must rid ourselves of the 3 Parties for good

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