Anas Sarwar has backed Keir Starmer’s move to abandon any attempt by a Labour government to rejoin the European Union.
The SNP branded Scottish Labour as “indistinguishable from the Tories on Brexit” after Sarwar joined the UK Labour leader in ruling out a reversal of the Brexit vote.
Speaking in London ahead of a keynote Brexit speech by Starmer, the Scottish leader said the 2016 result had to be respected, despite 63 per cent of Scots voting against leaving the EU in the UK-wide poll.
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Sarwar said: “We’re not suggesting over the next parliament that we go back into the European Union, but we are suggesting that co-operation is important with the EU.
“And what difference we can make if we have a UK Labour government that is working to manage conflict with EU and looking to build the opportunities that benefit Britain by having that partnership with the EU, as opposed to the current Tory government.”
Starmer is due to declare that Labour will not take the UK back into the European Union in comments that will set him at odds with many Labour members and many Scottish voters who back a return to the bloc.
He is due to say that re-running the Brexit debate “would ensure Britain remained stuck for another decade.”
Similarly Sarwar said he did not want to “double down” on what he called “the chaos caused by Brexit” but instead seek ways to make the new relationship work.
Sarwar explained: “I cannot deny the SNP demands for an independence referendum and at the same time call for a referendum on Brexit.
“I think referendums are divisive, I think people don’t want them right now. I think people want us to focus on fixing the problems we have right in front of us.”
Ian Blackford, the SNP Westminster leader said the Labour move confirmed “there is no route back to Europe and economic prosperity at Westminster”.
Blackford added: “Scotland didn’t vote for Brexit but under Westminster control it has been imposed against our will - costing the Scottish economy billions of pounds, inflicting long-term damage to economic growth, trade, jobs and the NHS - and making the Tory cost of living crisis much worse.
“It is frankly astonishing that Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar can look at all the catastrophic damage Brexit is causing and decide to become a Brexit supporters.”
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