There is clearly movement and an unease in the PLP about the inadequate aims and speed of negotiations with the EU. In this article, Starmer prepares for parliamentary battles over imminent EU ‘reset’ bill, Jessica Elgot suggested that there is movement on the “red lines”, but it is clearer on reading it that this is an attempt to accelerate UK agreement to the currently ongoing trade negotiations by increasing the powers of the relevant ministers.

The disarray in the PLP is explored in this New Statesman article, https://archive.ph/Snx1U “Labour’s EU ultras are organising”, which desperately overstates the LME’s commitment to rejoining the customs union, single market and the European Union.

Both articles use the phrase swiss-style agreement which is highly unlikely to succeed and is at the best is tone deaf as to the EU’s needs and wants and has the effect of limiting the Party’s demands.

The coming Bill is a means by which the Government deflects the internal Labour Party pressure towards joining the Customs Union by posing, parts of, the single market as an alternative. It is disappointing to see so many seeing the Customs Union as sufficient advance. The customs union is about tariffs and the single-market about non-tariff barriers. It’s not possible to effectively have one without the other, although several nations have tried. The UK economy and people need and want membership of both, including, reciprocal, free movement of people.

Labour should join the customs union and single market now and promise to rejoin the EU in its next election manifesto.

I predict they won’t until they abandon the strategy of triangulating against reform and that will take significant personnel changes in the Government.

We propose that you propose the following motion to your Labour Movement bodies.

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This committee/meeting

Notes the government plans to legislate to simplify the implementation of the agreements made as a result of the UK EU Summit May 25.

Notes the pace of agreement is disappointingly slow, and that there remain eight infringement proceedings outstanding from the withdrawal agreement and the Windsor framework

Believes “Fixing Brexit” is unachievable and that the attempts to achieve a “Swiss style” deal makes agreement more difficult.

Believes that the government should seek to rejoin the customs union and single market immediately in this parliament, and that the Labour Party should ask for a mandate to rejoin the EU in its next manifesto.