London, April 25 (IANS): The UK’s main opposition Labour Party has vowed a new plan for Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU) and said it would also scrap Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans if they win in June’s snap general elections, the media reported.
In Labour’s first major policy statement on the issue of the election campaign, the party on Monday signalled that it would take a different approach to the two-year process of negotiating the EU exit -- expected to start in June, the BBC reported.
The party would scrap May’s Brexit plan -- outlined in a White Paper in February -- which envisages leaving the single market and customs union.
Instead, it will focus on delivering a deal which “retains the benefits” of single market and customs union membership.
On immigration, the party said the Labour government would guarantee the legal status of the three million EU nationals living in the UK to correct what it says is a “shameful injustice”.
It would then press for reciprocal guarantees for the 1.2 million Britons living on the continent, reports the BBC.
In a further break from the government’s policy, Labour said leaving the EU without a deal would not be a “viable option”, although it is not clear whether its promise of a “truly meaningful” vote in Parliament on the final deal would amount to a potential veto.
The Labour Party had previously set out six tests for a successful Brexit -- including maintaining a strong, collaborative relationship with the EU, protecting security cooperation, delivering for the whole of the UK and introducing a fair immigration system.
In response, the Conservatives, however, said Labour Party chief Jeremy Corbyn was a “weak leader of a divided party who could not get the right deal for the UK”.
The Conservatives also said that only they had a clear plan for exiting the EU.
