The MP provided his perspective on current affairs as well as his proposals for moving forward with Brexit. Amidst calls for a people’s vote from some Commons MPs, Starmer utilised last week’s event to call for unity amongst the warring political factions.

Speaking in the Aston Webb building, Mr Starmer targeted the Prime Minister, Theresa May. The Commons must ‘wrestle control from the executive’, he stated. Obtaining power in the negotiations from May has been a lengthy struggle for the Labour Party despite it being the Shadow Brexit Secretary’s belief that she is the ‘root cause’ of the current parliamentary impasse.

Starmer elaborated on his frustration with the Conservatives’ handling of the Brexit process,  highlighting the fact that the commons had ‘no chance to vote’ against the deal before it was signed by both the UK and the EU. He concluded his lecture with a reminder that ‘time is short’ if the Government is to get a deal approved by the Commons but remarked that such a feat is ‘unlikely.’

In an interview with Redbrick during his visit to the University of Birmingham, Starmer said: ‘We’ve always said that this binary choice between any deal the Prime Minister brings back and no deal is unacceptable.’ He continued, ‘It’s a choice between bad and even worse.’

May’s deal was defeated by a record Commons majority of 230, overtaking the previous record of 166 in 1924 suffered by Ramsay MacDonald’s Labour government.

Following the publication of Jeremy Corbyn’s five conditions for accepting an altered deal early on Friday, Starmer was quick to defend his call for a public vote, reaffirming that the letter ‘doesn’t take [a public vote] off the table. The letter is a robust challenge to the prime minister [directing her on] where she needs to go next.’

Along with former conditions already established, such as being part of a customs union with the EU, Corbyn has advocated closer alignment with the single market as well as membership of several European agencies. Such proposals have proven to be controversial among Mrs May’s backbenchers but have been received well by the EU’s Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier, calling the letter ‘interesting.’

Labour’s Brexit policy was again brought into question on Friday by those present at Mr Starmer’s talk, with many still unsure of his party’s view on what should happen next. When quizzed by Redbrick on whether there is disunity amongst the shadow cabinet, Mr Starmer declared that ‘there is no inconsistency here at all’, but reaffirmed that ‘should there not be a general election? Other options… have to be on the table.’

The shadow Brexit secretary defined the ‘last two credible options’ as ‘a close economic relationship [with the EU]’ and a ‘public vote.’

Starmer’s comments coincide with the ongoing re-negotiations between May and the EU where she aims to obtain legally-binding changes to the controversial backstop arrangement. However, the EU remains united in supporting the backstop. Starmer and his Labour Party will now have to determine whether they will support the PM’s deal or finally agree upon backing a public vote.