EU customs union motion passed by MPs after Lammy comments

MPs volition statement plans to make a caller bespoke UK-EU customs unions, pursuing a uncommon tied ballot successful the Commons.

A question enactment guardant by Liberal Democrat MP Dr Al Pinkerton calling connected the authorities to negociate with the EU to make a caller signifier of customs national saw 100 MPs ballot successful favour - and 100 MPs ballot against.

It is the archetypal clip a ballot successful the enclosure has been tied since 2019. As per convention, erstwhile a ballot is split, the talker oregon the lawman talker past casts the deciding vote.

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Caroline Noakes, chairing the question connected Tuesday, said: "In accordance with precedent, I volition formed the casting ballot 'aye' to let further debate."

MPs volition statement the question astatine a 2nd speechmaking statement connected 16 January.

Thirteen Labour backbenchers voted for the Lib Dem proposal, including elder MP Dame Meg Hillier, who chairs the Treasury prime committee. Just 3 members of Sir Keir Starmer's enactment voted against the motion.

It follows the lawman premier curate appearing to endorse the thought of a caller customs national with the EU past week, contempt him admitting that it was not authorities policy.

Speaking to the News Agents podcast, David Lammy said: "It's self-evident that leaving the European Union severely damaged our economy, took america retired of an important marketplace and created superior friction, that untruths were being peddled by those that thought exiting the EU would beryllium a bully thing."

Asked repeatedly if helium would similar to spot the UK successful a customs union, helium said: "That is not presently our policy. That's not presently wherever we are.

"But you tin spot countries similar Turkey with a customs national seemingly benefiting and seeing maturation successful their economy, and, again, that's self-evident."

Ministers person since dismissed the lawman PM's comments.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told Sky News connected Sunday: "We conscionable conducted 3 commercialized deals this year, and that's a beauteous large trouble if you're going to articulation a customs union. And they were truly important - with the United States, with India, [and] the European Union itself."

A spokesperson for the premier curate said past week: "There's nary credible economical imaginativeness for Britain not positioning america arsenic an unfastened trading economy.

"We person to beryllium grown up astir trade-offs. We person redefined bonds with EU, and stuck to our reddish lines."

These "red lines" notation to a pledge successful the Labour 2024 wide predetermination manifesto, which stated: "There volition beryllium nary instrumentality to the azygous market, the customs union, oregon state of movement."

Reacting to the vote, enactment person Sir Ed Davey said: "A customs national with the EU is the azygous biggest measurement the authorities could instrumentality to turn our economy, enactment wealth backmost into people's pockets and make billions for our nationalist services."

The British nationalist voted to permission the EU by 52%-48% successful 2016, and the UK formally exited the bloc successful 2020.