Jeremy Corbyn has been forced to abandon plans to give a speech calling for all Turkish citizens to gain access to the UK amid fears that it could push Britain out of the European Union.
Senior Labour party sources told this newspaper that Mr Corbyn had planned a major intervention this month in Istanbul calling for Turkey to join the EU, allowing it's 75 million people access to Britain under freedom of movement rules.
Sources inside the leader's office are understood to have intervened to get the speech scrapped, triggering a furious row.
Few years ago he told the Turks: “I will remain your strongest possible advocate for EU membership… this is something I feel very strongly and very passionately about. Together I want to pave the road from Ankara to Brussels.”
This week he said: “I don’t think that the accession of Turkey to the European Union is remotely on the cards. I don’t think it will happen for decades. The facts are it requires unanimity of all European Union members… so I’d say very clearly to people, if your vote in this referendum is being influenced by considerations about Turkish membership of the EU, don’t think about it. It’s not remotely on the cards.”
WAC
Dave also wriggling. Few years ago he told the Turks: “I will remain your strongest possible advocate for EU membership… this is something I feel very strongly and very passionately about. Together I want to pave the road from Ankara to Brussels.
Breaking - Turkey's president has told the EU it will not change its anti-terror laws in return for visa-free travel. "We'll go our way, you go yours," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. The EU says Turkey needs to narrow its definition of terrorism to qualify for visa-free travel - which is part of a larger deal between the sides aimed at easing Europe's migration crisis.
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Breaking - Turkey's president has told the EU it will not change its anti-terror laws in return for visa-free travel."We'll go our way, you go yours," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.The EU says Turkey needs to narrow its definition of terrorism to qualify