Sir Keir Starmer has rowed back on the comments he made in a clip yesterday, which showed him saying the UK would not diverge from EU rules.
He said the UK "will not be a rule-taker" from the EU.
Speaking to broadcasters from a London rooftop, the Labour leader said: "I have repeatedly said that there is no case for going back into the EU and that includes the single market and the customs union. Equally, we will not be a rule-taker.
"The rules and laws of this country will be made in parliament according to the national interest.
WATCH: Starmer talks about Labour's plan for Brexit
"But that does not mean that a Labour government wants to lower standards on food.
"Lower standards on peoples' rights at work. There's no surprise here. The Labour Party has been completely consistent on this."
When pressed on whether the party would diverge from EU laws, Starmer repeated that there is "no case for rejoining the EU, no case for the customs union or the single market."
He added: "Laws made in this country according to the public interest.
"But that does not mean that a Labour government would lower standards on food or lower the rights that people have at work. That's been consistent Labour party policy for years. Incidentally, it is also government policy."
Starmer was caught admitting that he did not want to diverge from the EU in a clip published yesterday.
Responding to a question from former Sir Tony Blair aide John McTernan, Starmer said: "Most of the conflict with the UK being outside of the EU arises in so far as the UK wants to diverge and do different things to the rest of our EU partners.
"Obviously the more we share values, the more we share a future together, the less the conflict.
"And actually different ways of solving problems become available.
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Starmer was caught admitting that he did not want to diverge from the EU in a clip published yesterday
PA
"Actually we don't want to diverge, we don't want to lower standards, we don't want to rip up environmental standards, working standards for people that work, food standards and all the rest of it.
"So suddenly, you're in a space where, notwithstanding the obvious fact that we're outside the EU and not in the [European Economic Area], there's a lot more common ground than you might think."
