Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Will UK Labour’s Brexit gamble pay off?

Will UK Labour’s Brexit gamble pay off?

Former Remain-backing Labour figures are vowing to let voters ‘take back control’ — but is anyone convinced?
All the current British opinion polls suggest the opposition Labour Party is heading for government at the next election. So will its bid to don Brexiteer clothes convince the public?

As it heads for power, Labour’s most senior politicians have certainly seemed comfortable stealing the words of conservative heroes.

Speaking at an event last week, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves — who could very well be managing the U.K. economy after the next election — began by channeling Ronald Reagan as she asked people if they were “better off than they were 13 years ago,” while Keir Starmer co-opted a phrase from his old foe Boris Johnson.

The Labour leader promised to deliver a post-Brexit “take back control” bill if elected as PM, vowing greater devolution over areas including skills, housing and transport.

Starmer happily freewheeled on Brexit during his first speech of 2023 as he claimed to understand the anger behind the result, while praising Brexit campaign group Vote Leave’s signature slogan.

Just a year ago, Starmer would seemingly do everything to avoid talking about the EU, as Labour struggled to move past its 2019 policy of calling for a second referendum. Now, Starmer is trying to own Brexit as a political issue and turn it into an electoral advantage.

“It’s very smart politics,” one Labour shadow minister said.

“He’s not shrinking away from his role in campaigning for Remain, as we saw in the New Year’s speech, and is now turning the Vote Leave slogan on its head,” they argued.

Matthew Elliott, former chief executive of the official Vote Leave campaign, told POLITICO that his initial reaction upon hearing Starmer’s speech was that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

“We shouldn’t be too protective about these sorts of things,” he said.

With support for Brexit somewhat wavering in the polls, as its economic impacts begin to bite, Starmer now sees an opportunity to become its unlikely savior. He can stand at the House of Commons despatch box and say the Conservatives have failed to make the project a success and that only a new broom can fix some of its flaws.

It’s an area where Starmer’s ruthless pragmatism and technocratic nature could yield tangible results. Yet it would first require Leave voters to believe the arch-Remainer has had a Damascene conversion to the cause. Furthermore, it is questionable whether disgruntled ex-Labour supporters voted to leave the EU because they wanted local governments to have more power.

The beauty of “take back control” as a slogan was that it could mean everything to everybody. It packaged up people’s wide-ranging grievances with the state of the country and directed them at the EU. Put simply: it was a vibe, not a coherent ideology.

There is a danger for Starmer that he is taking the issue too literally and seeing it as a lawyer (he used to be the U.K.’s top public prosecutor), not a politician. Elliott, who still works as a political strategist, said he is unconvinced that Starmer can now sell himself as a neo-Brexiteer.

“Starmer first emerged in public life as the shadow minister trying to stop Brexit,” he said. “I don’t think Starmer will be trusted by the Red Wall voters to deliver any benefits of Brexit or to show he really believes what he’s saying.”

“I also still run a lot of opinion polling and reforming local government certainly doesn’t come up in the top 10 things of what people want.”

Starmer is unlikely to ever win over the most hardcore Brexiteers. Yet there is a chunk of the electorate that may give him a hearing. A YouGov poll from last November revealed 19 per cent of Leave voters regret their decision, with many complaining that “things are worse since Brexit.”

This will give Labour the freedom to speak about problems caused by leaving the EU, such as increased red tape for businesses, without fear of inevitable Tory attacks that accuse the party of being in thrall to Brussels.

“It’s really about being positive and proactive in selling the ‘take back control’ policy and showing the country that we have a very positive view of the future. That includes Brexit and the many facets of post-Brexit policy,” a senior Labour official said.

Johnson’s defenestration will also give Labour political space to attack the Tories on Brexit. It was impossible for Starmer to out-Brexit the campaign’s frontman and Johnson was also adept at battering Starmer with his previous Remainer record.

The Labour leader will fancy his chances more against current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who is not publicly linked with the vote — despite backing Leave as a junior MP in 2016.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
×