Labour's Brexit spokesman to call for united opposition if Brexit deal fails

With just 48 hours before British Prime Minister Theresa May formally triggers article 50 - the official process for exiting the European Union (EU), Labour's Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer will set out six tests which any deal must pass, or face the opposition of Labour in the House of Commons.

Starmer is expected to warn that the Brexit process is in danger of being hijacked by Tory hardliners who sense a "once in a generation chance" for Britain to extricate itself from employment rights, environmental protections and investment in public services.

Starmer is expected to harden Labour's Brexit stance, warning that there is a "worrying and increasingly powerful move on the government benches to sever links with Europe," in a major speech at Chatham House, reports The Guardian.

As done by other former leaders, Starmer is expected to insist on May's commitment to maintaining equal cross-border security and policing, calling for clarification on whether Britain will be a member of Europol and retain the European arrest warrant.

"Freedom of movement is an EU rule, therefore when we leave, those rules fall away and we have to decide what immigration rules and policy go in its place," he spoke to the Guardian ahead of his speech, adding "What I'm arguing for in the speech is new rules that reflect both economic demands and those of the community."

Starmer is also expected to argue that the vote for Brexit was a reflection of voters' belief that "politics and the economy no longer work for them or their communities", adding that they were offered "false hope" that leaving the EU would change that.