What are Labour's Plans for Brexit? - Brexit Explained

Labour's views on Brexit matter more than you might think. The Prime Minister needs other parties to support her deal as she doesn't have enough backing within her own party to get her across the line. The right deal could convince Labour MPs to support her proposed deal. Also, it's possible that there could be a general election before the UK ends up leaving the EU. If that happened then Labour would get a chance to come up with a Brexit deal. So in this video, we discuss what Labour want out of Brexit and if they would support a second referendum.

[Conservator.]

Hi TL;DR,
Just want to mention that I admire your graphics. They are very minimalistic yet very recognizable and that I think is an art!

[KrzysztofBob]

Is it even feasible? I mean the EU have repeatedly said that you can’t simply pick and choose from the four pillars and staying within customs union, without accepting other freedoms, would be just such thing.

[Kevin-cmkc]

Ha. 'Plans' for brexit. You crack me up TLDR.
The only plan is to start collecting bottelcaps and rad-away

[czarzenana]

The biggest problem is the arrogance of the UK: the UK looks at it only from it's own position.
The UK is leaving the EU and therefor totally free in choosing anything it likes. The EU is not leaving the EU and therefor bound by all the Free Trade Agreements it has with other countries. Most of those FTAs include a MFN clauses (Most Favourite Nation). This means that any special arrangements the EU offers to the UK it also has to offer to her other partners in her other FTAs. Think about it, it's extremely important to understand the position of the EU and the limited possibilities the EU has to negotiate a trade agreement with the UK. If the UK leaves the EU, the EU *cannot* offer a special deal to the UK without granting Canada, Japan, Singapore and other countries with which the EU has a FTA the same special arrangements.

Those MFN clauses also mean that after leaving the EU the UK *cannot* easily negotiate better conditions with other countries. Those countries are bound by the FTAs they already have. If the US for instance grants special deals to the UK it also has to offer those same deals to Canada and Mexico because of NAFTA and if the US doesn't do that they endanger the existence of NAFTA. Any special deal the UK gets from a country the EU already has a FTA with automatically means it also applies to the EU.

The UK should stop dreaming up unicorns and return to reality.

[workingchap]

TLDR, you are conflating Labour members (c500k) with Labour voters (c11.3m at the last GE) so whilst your reporting of Labour membership support is probably accurate no one can know how this would translate into actual votes. A lot of Labour seats, includng a fair few marginals are (or were) Leave strongholds, so Labour would have to risk abandoning a core of its voters to seek to mop up votes in more Remain friendly areas. Herein lays another problem, a lot of pro-Remain votes are professional/middle class, to whom Tony Blair very successfully appealed when 'New Labour' won its landslide back in 1997. The problem for Labour now is that it has gone 'backwards' to a more 'Old Labour', much more left wing politics which it is hard to see how it can have the same appeal to middle class, generally moderate voters. The EU stance on state aid to industry is also a particular problem for the current harder left Labour policies just adding to the complexity of Labours position.

In terms of a 2nd referendum (which would actually be the 4th vote in 3 years on EU membership), that option is fraught with risks, arguably greater risks to the UK than the economic shock of a WTO exit. In no particular order:
Risk 1) Leave wins again, leaving us no further forward as it still wouldn't resolve what 'Leave' looks like.
Risk 2) Remain win this time by a similar, say reversed result, 52/48, how can this be valid when the Leave outcome on a similar margin was deemed invalid?
Risk 3) It will be almost impossible for the UK gov't to refuse to hold another Scotland indy-ref, increasing the risk of the break up of the UK.
Risk 4) For a large section of the UK electorate (c17.4m Leave + some Remain perhaps?) faith in main-stream parties is likely to be shattered, this will either drive people towards extreme parties, as we are seeing in the EU or worse, disengage them from voting altogether, by default increasing opportunity for rogue results for extreme parties in low turnout elections.
Risk 5) 'We know so much more now', is the call for 2nd vote supporters. Yes 'we' do about the difficulties and economics but also, how the EU view the UK, as a competitor or rogue state to be put in its place rather than future friend and collaborative partner. Any campaign for in/out would be likely to see this avenue heavily used making the last campaign, which was quite aggressive and brutal at times look like a vicars afternoon tea party. The adverse view of the EU of leave voters is likely to be only increased by the nature of campaign that is probable.
Risk 6) The anger of the c17.4m leave voters, there may not be open fighting on the streets but it would be surprising if some civil unrest and direct action, probably not entirely peaceful doesn't happen.
Risk 7) No polling shows any significantly consistent movement from a broadly 50/50 split on EU membership, it may take a generation for this to change, in which case another in/out campaign will just harden positions and deepen divisions in what is already a pretty polarised UK when it comes to the EU.
Risk 8) On what terms would Remain be fought? The EU is evolving, indeed it has already done so since the Leave vote, so the same problem exists for Remain and for Leave, what kind of Remain (ever closer union, a common army, Euro adoption, common foreign policy, budget contribution rates, end of the rebate etc?). It's easy to say 'Remain' but the EU evolved from the EEC so it would be a valid challenge by the opposing side to get certainty on what 'Remain' looks like.
There are other risks and concerns but these are the main ones that cross my mind at the thought of another divisive referendum, with little likelihood of getting a decisive outcome.

For me the best way forwards is to reach a reasonable deal with the EU, heavily centred around free trade initially to minimise the economic bumps for both sides and then, from a position of relative financial certainty and stability agree specific areas for co-operation e.g., security, science, ease of movement of people and so on, without the distraction of them being trading chips for a trade deal.

To reverse the Leave vote, the only way I can see which has any democratic validity is for a party to stand on a manifesto of EU membership, like the SNP and Lib Dems did in 2017, at a future general election and by winning a clear parliamentary majority, it will have mandate to apply to re-join but it is likely the membership terms will be very different to the current 'pick and mix' of the current UK membership package.

[numbersto]

Brit 1: Let's Brexit!
Brit 2: Ok, cool, let's do it!
Brits vote for Brexit.
Brit 2: Btw, what exactly is Brexit?
Brit 1: I have no clue.
It's so funny.

[lahabitaciondelatrapado]

TLDRnews, do you have a cold too?
Start stacking medicines before march!
Happy new year

[trainman]

If you have a "do over" referendum doesn't that open the results of every election to a "do over"? Doesn't this undermine the validity of all elections and referendums in the UK?

[secret]

Hey! I proposed this video in an email so it's awesome to see TLDR are listening!

[the_ent]

Labour appear to be completely clueless as to whether to even back Brexit, let alone have a plan.

[gepwxaqdfsidsesg]

After the vote on May's deal (assuming parliament reject it) I would love to see an analysis of whether the MPs who reject it do so because they want more Brexit or less Brexit than the May deal. I think that this would be an excellent TLDR video.

[joxley]

We seem to have a lot of better policies (opt outs) implemented in the UK which other EU/EEA countries don’t have. Guarantee to keep our own currency, No Schengen zone and independent border checks and visa policies for countries outside the union, no obligatory identity card or documents to be held by citizens. It’s sad and it’s a mess. The people need to decide to be honest, people’s vote I think would be best. Politicians shouldn’t be like parents arguing at parents evening about challenging and agreeing the curriculum

[jkgrech]

What kind of audacity? UK leaves the EU and expects the same perks for free?

[YourHamSmellsOff]

Leaders voted for no deal! Just no deal. Can’t wait till it happens.

[JMB]

We’ve heard a lot of waffle from Labour on Brexit, yet nothing as to whether their proposals would even be considered by the EU. The idea of remaining in a customs union and the single market would just being staying in the EU but by another name, why would the EU allow this, where are the advantages for the UK regarding trade? Labour are just deceiving the public but have no constructive plan of their own. Given that a no deal Brexit scenario is trying to be eliminated, what options would even be available in the event of another referendum? Labour are just purely hoping that if one was called, that the decision would be reversed allowing them to sweep the whole situation under the proverbial carpet and forgotten about.

[josephinewinter]

Britain always votes Tory in elections, because of how boundaries are drawn, and they've been recently redrawn to help the Tories far more than ever before (there's some reason to them being redrawn, but half the decisions have no logic except helping Tories win in first-past-the-post), so Labour have no chance of winning anything. Maybe with 60%. Plus Labour voters are famous for not bothering to vote, and Tory supporters for bothering. Plus, we are an elderly nation, most people are over 50, so it's going to be conservative, until the nation all dies and there's about ten young people left in 2060

[tfsheahan]

The problem is that it's been some time since polls were sufficiently accurate to take seriously.

[DreamskyDance]

i just wanted to say that I always liked british humor and satire...this brexit thing watching from outside is great example of that... xD

[alanbugler]

The major problem with the Labour plan, is the the best way to achieve the majority of points, is to not leave at all.

[oristo_]

There is no way to maintain "Exact Same Benefits" without staying in the EU. Britain can't cherry pick this one.