Badenoch Should Quietly Allow Burnham's EU Rethink Rather Than Block It
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/gabyhinsliff. "Burnham’s surprise EU-turn could deliver the Tories from a generational mess | Gaby Hinsliff | The Guardian." October 6, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that even though Conservatives would never have started talking about undoing Brexit, it's actually smart for Kemi Badenoch to just stay quiet and let Labour's Andy Burnham try to renegotiate a better EU deal. If it works, the Tories benefit later; if it fails, they can blame Burnham — so there's no real downside to simply not blocking him.
Conclusion
It is in the Conservative Party's strategic interest to not oppose Burnham's opening toward renegotiating Brexit, but rather to let him pursue it while withholding outright endorsement.
Premises
- Badenoch's growth-focused political platform is undermined by Brexit's ongoing damage to trade and GDP, creating an intellectual contradiction in her stated priorities.
- The Tory brand remains toxic largely because of Brexit-related turmoil that produced no practical benefits, so reigniting pure pro-Brexit rhetoric risks reminding voters of this failure.
- If Burnham succeeds in negotiating a deal that boosts trade while managing immigration concerns, future governments including a Tory one would benefit and owe him credit.
- If Burnham fails, Badenoch retains the option to join in blaming him, costing the Tories nothing for having stayed quiet.
- The EU will not re-enter serious negotiations without some cross-party acceptance that a changed approach could survive a change of government, meaning Tory silence (not even support) is functionally necessary for any renegotiation to proceed.
- Badenoch's own treatise explicitly models itself on Thatcher's pragmatic 1976 approach to Europe, suggesting an intellectual inconsistency in her current ideological rigidity on Brexit.
Assumptions
- Political parties act primarily out of long-term strategic self-interest rather than ideological conviction.
- Voters' negative view of the Conservative brand is substantially attributable to Brexit fatigue rather than other factors.
- A renegotiated EU relationship could plausibly deliver both economic benefits and politically acceptable immigration outcomes.
- Remaining silent or neutral is politically costless for Badenoch, with no backlash from either pro-Brexit or pro-growth factions of her base.
- The EU's negotiating posture is accurately characterized as requiring cross-party durability assurances before serious talks begin.