Brexiters are raging over the latest government efforts to ‘reset’ Brexit. Plans for the UK to align more closely with EU rules are being drowned out by cries of ‘betrayal’ from the right and demands for more ambition from the left. With Starmer being criticised from all directions over his Brexit ‘reset’ policy, isn’t it time to risk a bolder plan?
Resetting EU/UK relations
With the government’s Brexit code of silence now firmly lifted, the prime minister has acknowledged the ‘deep damage’ Brexit has caused the UK economy. Starmer has stressed that a “stronger, closer relationship with Europe is in the UK’s best interest”, particularly at this volatile moment in time.
As part of the ongoing Brexit ‘reset’, new legislation will see the UK more closely aligned to single market rules, including accepting EU food standards, cutting red tape and improving trade, to the tune of an estimated £1bn. The legislative process will echo earlier pre-Brexit proceedings, when the government adopted hundreds of EU laws. What’s different now is that the UK no longer has voting rights and can no longer shape EU legislation.
New EU rules will be introduced using “secondary legislation”, not requiring the same level of scrutiny or parliamentary involvement as primary legislation. That lack of scrutiny has proved controversial, although the government insists peers and MPs will still retain a “role” in approving the bill.
Brexit “betrayal”
Apart from complaining that parliament is being sidelined, Nigel Farage has described the plans as “a backdoor attempt to drag Britain back under European Union control”. He has vowed to oppose the legislation “every step of the way” and claims “it is a total betrayal of the Brexit vote”.
Perhaps the Reform leader has conveniently forgotten promises made by the Leave campaign before the referendum – that we would keep our single market rights. Had that been the case, Farage would have no need to complain at Starmer’s attempts to restore at least some of what was lost.
Of course, it’s not just Reform that is opposed to the legislation. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the plan as “offering the worst of both worlds” (at 3:56) while Sir Iain Duncan Smith described aligning with EU rules without having a say as both “demeaning and damaging” [subscription needed]. Plus, the usual right-wing nonsense about “sovereignty”.
EU reset too much/not enough
While Starmer’s ‘reset’ might be too much for the Brexiters, it’s not enough for many pro-Europeans. After months of silence on the subject, the government’s changing attitude towards Brexit has certainly been welcomed. However, the pace of the reset seems painfully slow, and the insistence on sticking to Labour’s ‘red lines’ – no single market, no customs union, no rejoining -appears inflexible, cowardly and foolish.
In an attempt to stem the tide of failing support, Labour has tried emulating Reform and the far-right, to no avail. Having finally appeared to accept it was losing more support to the left than the right, the government has now changed tack but is still saddled with poor comms and a lack of nerve. While his recent actions regarding Iran may have tempered his disapproval ratings, Starmer’s popularity is still through the floor. He is not only unpopular with both sides of the Brexit debate but is failing to please traditional Labour voters who have moved on to the more socialist, environmentally friendly Greens.
What are we waiting for?
Starmer’s latest legislation will undoubtedly help the British economy, improve EU/UK relations, and limit the damage of Brexit. But why stop there? With the majority of the British public now in favour of rejoining the EU, what are Labour so afraid of? Support for Brexit is dying off (literally), and nobody born this century voted for Brexit. As for the reception we might receive from our European neighbours, EU countries have been going out of their way to encourage our return, not least the new Hungarian Prime Minister.
With changing public opinion, Brexit is likely to play a considerable role at the next general election. Are we likely to see a return to the single market, customs union and/or the EU itself in Labour’s manifesto? Based on the evidence of the last 2 years, I’m not sure they have the courage. Or at least, Starmer doesn’t.
But why wait? The longer we remain isolated, the more damage Brexit will do and the harder it will be to ‘take back control’. With Labour – and Starmer in particular – so unpopular, and so criticised over Brexit, what have they got to lose by going the whole hog and taking a stand, before someone else beats them to it?
Farage says we are trying to get into the EU via the back door. As a proud nation with much to offer, we should be marching up to the front door and striving to be back where we belong – at the heart of Europe.
The way things stand, Starmer might just as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb. Or forever be remembered as the pro-EU PM that didn’t have the balls to do what was in the best interests of his country, and his party.
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