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In an extraordinary turn of events this afternoon during Prime Ministers Questions, the UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer - known for his pro-EU position - responded to questions from the Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey with what can only be described as defending the Brexit benefit of having an independent trade policy from outside the EU Customs Union.
Sir Ed Davey: Mr Speaker - In the past few days, two of the Labour leadership candidates, the Rt Hon gentleman the member for Ilford North [note: Wes Streeting] and the Mayor of Manchester [note: Andy Burnham] have ruled out any support for Britain joining a Customs Union with the EU - despite the fact that it would boost growth and cut the cost of living. Is the Prime Minister relieved that he finally has something that he can agree with his colleagues on?
Sir Keir Starmer: Mr Speaker - In the last two years I have been negotiating serious trade deals which were vital for our most important sectors of the economy. The trade deals with the EU, but also with India; North Korea [note: he meant South Korea and corrected the record later in PMQs]; and the United States. I would remind him of the value of those deals - before the deal with the United States I went to JLR in Solihull and I talked to the workforce there. they were worried sick about their jobs and the jobs of their communities. when we agreed terms [with the USA] I went back to JLR, because of the deal we got with the EU [note: he meant USA, another mistake in a single response], their jobs thousands of jobs were safeguarded. His approach would throw all that away - he would have to go see those workforces and tell them their jobs are gone. I'm not going to do that.
The team at Britain Unbound find it very refreshing, especially in light of the trade deal being agreed with the Gulf Cooperation Council later today, that the current Prime Minister defends the Brexit benefit of an independent trade policy that, as he said, is vital for our most important sectors of the economy.
