CARDENDEN and Kinglassie MP, Peter Grant, has called on Labour to protect the Scottish and British economies from the consequences of Brexit by backing the UK’s continued membership of the Customs Union and Single Market.

It comes as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn gave a speech on Monday stating that his party’s position was for the UK to negotiate a new customs union with the European Union post Brexit.

Peter Grant, the SNP’s Spokesperson for Europe, said: “Labour are in almost exactly the same position Theresa May and the Conservatives were 18 months ago.

“Jeremy Corbyn wants to have a special and comprehensive customs relationship with the European Union, but we already have that – it’s being members of the Customs Union and the Single Market.

“Leaving the EU means that even remaining in both the Single Market and the Customs Union will be damaging for the economy but the kind of hard Brexit Mr Corbyn seems to favour would hit our GDP by about 9%, a price we cannot afford to pay.”

Jeremy Corbyn also admitted in his speech that the UK didn’t necessarily have to leave the Customs Union and Single Market upon exiting the European Union.

Added Peter Grant: “I welcome the fact that he very reluctantly and very grudgingly admitted that he got it completely wrong when he said that if you leave the EU you must leave the Customs Union and the Single Market. He’s now admitted we don’t have to leave either of them and I welcome that admission.”