The German press has hailed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s “inexperience”, welcoming his insistence that Britain must secure a Brexit deal at any cost, claiming it will make the UK an easy negotiating partner.
The UK Independence Party (UKIP) and Prime Minister Theresa May have repeatedly insisted that “no deal is better than a bad deal”, but as Mr. Corbyn surges in the polls, he has once again attacked this line of reasoning.
On Thursday, he attacked Mrs. May’s “reckless” attitude, warning that quitting the European Union (EU) without securing a trade deal within the two-year deadline would risk a “jobs meltdown”.
However, an article on Focus.de, laying out the German perspective, welcomed Mr. Corbyn’s increasing popularity as an “inexperienced” figure like him with a “compromising” attitude leading Brexit talks could be good for German interests.
“It is interesting how the candidates have positioned themselves regarding the negotiations so far. Theresa May is in favour of a hard line: she would rather leave without a deal with the EU than agree to a bad deal for Great Britain.
“Jeremy Corbyn is compromising: he would definitely be in favour of finding a negotiating solution. This sounds like a simpler negotiating partner from the EU perspective.”
Mr. Corbyn is against slashing taxes in the UK if the EU plays hardball and starts a trade war, and speaking in Essex on Thursday, the Labour leader claimed his approach would protect jobs.
He said: “Theresa May says no deal is better than a bad deal. Let’s be clear: ‘no deal’ is in fact a bad deal.
“It is the worst of all deals because it would leave us with World Trade Organization tariffs and restrictions, instead of the access to European markets we need.
“That would mean slapping tariffs on the goods we export – an extra 10 per cent on cars – with the risk that key manufacturers would leave for the European mainland, taking skilled jobs with them.”
Adding: “In sector after sector, ‘no deal’ could prove to be an economic disaster – Theresa May’s approach risks a jobs meltdown across Britain.”