Windsor Framework: Government ‘clearing up its own mess over Brexit’, says Labour

The Labour frontbencher mocked the prime minister's comments that his agreement put Northern Ireland “in the unbelievably special position” of accessing both the EU and British markets, saying: “I didn't know he was such a fan of the single market.”

But the MP for Leeds West rejected reopening the Brexit referendum debate, telling the PA news agency: “We're not going to be going back into the single market or customs union and Labour have been clear about that as well.”

She said her party is “proposing practical changes and improvements that could be won in a short space of time rather than years more of negotiations which I don't think is in our country's interest”.

Ms Reeves warned businesses across the UK are “still dealing with botched decisions” almost seven years since the Brexit vote, branding it “a total mess”.

Referring to the prime minister's Windsor Framework negotiated with the EU, she said: “Obviously we welcome the fact that the government have secured changes to the (Northern Ireland) protocol.

“The protocol was not working. Boris Johnson said back in 2019 that he had an oven ready deal, he had nothing of the sort and here we are almost seven years after the vote to leave the EU happened, still dealing with botched decisions since then.

“So we welcome the fact that there's improvements to the protocol but it is just a case of the government clearing up its own mess.”

She added: “We're not going to be going back into the single market or customs union and Labour have been clear about that as well, but it does show that improvements can be made to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the protocol that was secured just over two years ago. That's positive because there's lots of aspects of the botched Brexit deal that is not working for British businesses.”

She said that some UK businesses were no longer exporting to the EU due to additional paperwork and bureaucracy while the cultural industries were facing barriers to touring.

She said: “It's a total mess and we are determined to fix some of the holes in the Brexit deal if we have the opportunity to form the next government.”