Britain's main opposition Labour party on Monday called for strong trade ties with the EU even after leaving the bloc in 2019 and said it would not rule out remaining in a customs union.
"Subject of course to negotiations, remaining in a form of customs union with the EU is a possible end destination for Labour," Labour Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer told the party's annual conference.
"We are also flexible as to whether the benefits of the single market are best retained by negotiating a new single market relationship, or by working up from a bespoke trade deal," he said in the southern English coastal town of Brighton.
Amid splits within Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government over Brexit strategy, Starmer said Labour were ready to "take charge" of negotiations with Brussels if the government were to collapse and Labour were to come to power.
"Labour are now the grown-ups in the room," he said, accusing May's government of "dogmatic disregard of the national interest" and "post-imperial delusions".
Labour in August said it wanted Britain to stay in the European single market during a transition period up to four years after Brexit in March 2019.
In a speech in Florence on Friday, May announced plans for a transition period of around two years, during which Britain and the EU would continue to trade "on current terms".
The Labour party is deeply divided between those who favour single market membership even after the transition period and those who are opposed.
A request from some party members for a vote on the issue during the conference this week has been denied and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has instead sought to emphasise the party's anti-austerity message.
Responding to Starmer's speech, the Conservative party said it showed that "Labour have no plan for Brexit".
The decision not to hold a vote on the party's Brexit policy "shows just how divided they are", a spokesman said.
