Labour recognises that we need to build a shared future with the EU

We are now halfway through the Article 50 process. It is an opportunity for us to take stock of what was promised and what now needs to be delivered.

I have never shied away from the huge task facing the country. Brexit is complicated. It is intertwined in our day to day lives. Our businesses trade with Europe. Our families travel to Europe. And our public services are supported by people who come from Europe.

The complexity and importance of Brexit demands a serious and credible response. It is all too easy to offer people simple solutions and to make false promises. To duck the difficult decisions in favour of glib soundbites and PR gimmicks.

But that is not responsible government or responsible opposition. That is why I have consistently made the case for a credible response to Brexit that is rooted in my – and Labour’s – values of internationalism, solidarity and equality.

That’s why we emphasised citizens’ rights should never be used as a bargaining chip. It’s why we fought for a strong transitional deal to prevent a cliff edge for our economy. And it’s why we argued that Parliament must have the final say on the withdrawal agreement.

We have also been clear that our approach must put jobs and the economy first. That commitment was made clear in our promise to seek to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union and a strong new relationship with the single market.

That is how we would seek to hardwire the economic benefits of our current membership with the EU into the final Brexit agreement.

The referendum answered one question: whether we should leave the EU or remain. Labour has always been clear that we respect that result.

But in the second year of the negotiations, there are other questions that the government needs to answer. How will we leave? What should our future relationship with the EU look like? How can we ensure peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland?

Central to those questions is the core issue – do we want to retain a close relationship with the EU, particularly economically, or to tear ourselves away in search of some new future distant from our EU partners?

On that issue, Labour has long been clear: we want a close partnership with the EU based on our common values and in our common interest. We have no interest in lowering common standards, deregulating or diverging from the EU rights and protections we helped to shape.

We have a shared history and shared values with our European allies. Labour recognises that we need to build a close, shared future. Not just for trade and prosperity – vital though that is – but also to tackle complex global challenges, from terrorism and climate change to new security threats facing our continent and the world.

It is a vision which is not shared by many in the Conservative Party, who see Brexit as a mandate to tear up British values and lower common standards. The continuing divisions in the cabinet on this central question – should we remain close or tear ourselves away from our EU partners – is the single biggest threat to the success of the negotiations.

In the coming days and weeks Labour will be tabling amendments to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill to help shape the next phase of negotiations.

First, an amendment that would require the government to put the negotiation of a customs union with the EU back on the negotiating table as a key objective.

Second, an amendment that would prevent checks, controls or physical infrastructure of any kind at the border of Northern Ireland. This would enshrine in law the commitment to preventing a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

And third, an amendment to strengthen the terms of the meaningful vote to make clear that – should Theresa May’s proposed Article 50 deal be defeated – it would then be for parliament to say what happens next, not the executive. A statutory provision requiring the government to proceed on terms agreed by parliament, not on terms dictated by the prime minister. Labour will not support a deal that fails to meet the six tests I set out last year. But, we will also not allow the UK to crash out without a deal.

The next 12 months will be pivotal for the whole Brexit process. This is not the time to step back from the challenge. It’s the time to stand up and fight for our country’s future.

Keir Starmer is Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary