The Brexit delusion is dead – so now Keir Starmer doesn’t need to pretend any more | Rafael Behr
To rebuild relations with Europe in a dangerous world, the prime minister needs to win big arguments, not hide behind outdated red linesIn opposition, Keir Starmer pushed Brexit to the...
By Rafael Behr · The Guardian Opinion
To rebuild relations with Europe in a dangerous world, the prime minister needs to win big arguments, not hide behind outdated red lines In opposition, Keir Starmer pushed Brexit to the margin of debate. In government, he has learned that Europe is central to Britain’s interests whether you talk about it or not. The avoidance of painful arguments from the past turns out to be a handicap when making plans for the future. This was predictable. Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto pretended that Brexit was a historical event. It was something Boris Johnson got “done” in 2020, in fulfilment of his winning campaign pledge from the previous year. The terms could be tweaked, but Starmer promised to preserve the substance . That was an indulgence of public fatigue with the whole issue, made electorally expedient by fear of offending former Labour supporters who had voted leave in the referendum. Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...