We offer the wording below as a basis for motions for Labour conference 2023. The deadline for receipt of motions is 5pm, Thursday 21 September (conference Sunday 8 to Wednesday 11 October 2023), but some CLPs will decide their motions much earlier. Motions must be 250 words or less, and motion titles ten words or less.
Break from the Brexit disaster
Conference notes:
1. That far more people want to rejoin the EU than stay out, and the gap is growing. The ten polls to 17 April favoured rejoin average 49% to 34.3%. Specific polling shows a big anti-Brexit shift in the “Red Wall”.
2. The vast chaos and damage Brexit is causing on many fronts – reinforcing the Tories’ attacks on rights, living standards and services.
3. That a March 2023 Omnisis poll found 72% supporting “mutual free movement” between the UK and Europe, 14% against. Leaver voters supported 66-20.
Conference believes:
1. That accepting even the Tories’ ultra-hard Brexit as beyond criticism means failing to show the leadership required of any kind of internationalist and working-class party.
2. That hard Brexit and withdrawal from the Single Market have brought economic damage for working people.
3. That greater free movement would not be an unfortunate overhead of mitigating Brexit damage, but a positive benefit.
4. That Labour must stand up for migrants and for working-class unity and solidarity against Tory politics of scapegoating and bigotry.
Conference resolves:
1. That Labour will
– indict the Tories’ Brexit policy
– pledge to rejoin the Single Market and Customs Union and restore UK-EU free movement.
– campaign for the pro-migrants’ rights policies we passed in 2019, counterposing repealing all anti-union laws, better pay and workers’ rights and restored public services to Tory scapegoating.
– aim to rejoin the EU.
(235 words not inc title)