Jeremy Corbyn gives Michel Barnier an Arsenal shirt as he and Nicola Sturgeon fly to Brussels to sabotage Theresa May’s Brexit plans
The leftie leaders both lobbied the EU's Brexit negotiator for closer relations between Britain and Europe
JEREMY CORBYN and Nicola Sturgeon visited Brussels today in a bid to wreck the Government's plans for Brexit.
The two leftie leaders both met top EU negotiator Michel Barnier - and Mr Corbyn gave him an Arsenal shirt with his name written on the back.
The Labour leader and SNP boss are both seeking a softer Brexit than Theresa May wants, and are going behind the PM's back to try to win Eurocrats over.
Mr Corbyn insisted he had a mandate to enter talks on behalf of 13million Labour voters, while Ms Sturgeon is pushing to keep Britain in the European single market.
Speaking in Brussels this morning alongside his ally Diane Abbott, Mr Corbyn said: "We're representing 13million people who voted Labour in the General Election.
"These are crucial negotiations for our country and we're here to ensure that we defend jobs and living standards, and try and discover exactly what the views of the European Union are today on the whole process."
During his two-hour meeting with Mr Barnier, the Labour leader gave him a replica Arsenal shirt with "Barnier" written on the back.
Mr Corbyn is a passionate fan of the north London club - whose manager, Arsene Wenger, is French.
He also handed the negotiator a copy of the Labour manifesto, and quipped afterwards: "Now he's got two things in red, a shirt and a book."
Mr Corbyn said he had told Mr Barnier that "under a Labour government, we will negotiate to make sure we have the trading relationship with Europe that protects industry, protects jobs and protects services".
He added: "We will also make sure Britain doesn't become some sort of low tax regime off the shore of Europe and we will not sign a trade treaty with the USA which is not only at variance with the Paris climate agreement but also damaging to living standards and working conditions in Britain."
Labour today pledged to oppose the Government's Repeal Bill, which will scrap EU legislation and replace it with a British equivalent.
Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer said he wants to ensure workers’ rights in the UK do not fall behind those in the EU and wants to incorporate the European Charter of Fundamental Rights into British law.
Labour has vowed to quit the single market and customs union, but is willing to accept the authority of EU judges in order to forge a closer relationship with Europe.
The Repeal Bill, officially published today, gives ministers powers to make more than 1,000 changes to European laws ahead of our exit from the EU.
Mr Corbyn said: "Far too much of it seems to be a process where the Government will decide through statutory instruments and therefore will be able to bypass Parliament.
"We will make sure there is full parliamentary scrutiny. We have a Parliament where the Government doesn't have a majority, we have a country which voted in two ways on Leave or Remain.
"The majority voted to leave and we respect that, but they didn't vote to lose jobs and they didn't vote to have Parliament ridden roughshod over.
Ms Sturgeon said she had a warm conversation with Mr Barnier as she called for Britain to stay in the single market - meaning we could not control our borders.
She said: "This was a useful and constructive meeting, and I welcomed the opportunity to discuss Scotland's priorities with Mr Barnier - in particular, our view that the UK should seek to remain in the single market.
"I outlined to Mr Barnier that our priority is to protect Scotland's vital economic interests and that the Scottish Government will do all it can to build a consensus against an extreme Brexit outside the single market, which would have potentially catastrophic consequences for jobs, investment and our living standards."
Mr Barnier also met Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones in what some have seen as an attempt to go behind the backs of Mrs May and Brexit Secretary David Davis.
Yesterday he took a potshot at Boris Johnson for telling the EU to "go whistle" over its demand for a punitive divorce bill.
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The French negotiator said: "I’m not hearing any whistling, just the clock ticking."
He has called for Britain to work out its position on key issues such as the Irish border and the rights of EU citizens in the UK.