UK’s Labour opposition seeks close post-Brexit ties with EU

LONDON – Britain’s main opposition party is trying to clarify its convoluted position on Brexit, saying the U.K. must retain close economic ties with the European Union, including a tariff-free customs deal.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn will say in a speech Monday that the U.K. should have “a new and strong relationship with the single market that includes full tariff-free access” to the 27 other member states.

The party says Corbyn will also argue that Britain should remain in a customs union with the bloc — something Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative government appears to have ruled out.

Like the Conservatives, Labour is divided over Brexit. Corbyn is trying to chart a middle course, saying Brexit “will not solve all our problems,” and will not “inevitably spell doom for our country.”