Labour Must Choose: Fully Embrace Brexit Opportunities or Campaign to Rejoin the EU
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/larryelliott. "Labour is being destroyed by dithering: it should either do Brexit properly or rejoin the EU | Larry Elliott | The Guardian." May 14, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
Elliott argues that Labour is failing because they're trying to have it both ways on Brexit - neither fully using the opportunities it created nor campaigning to reverse it. He says this wishy-washy approach satisfies no one and Labour should pick a side: either go all-in on using Brexit to rebuild the economy or admit it was a mistake and campaign to rejoin the EU.
Conclusion
Labour's current middle-ground approach to Brexit is doomed to failure and the party should either fully utilize Brexit freedoms to rebuild the economy or campaign to rejoin the EU
Premises
- Brexit gave Britain the freedom to set its own trade policy, regulations, and economic strategy without EU constraints
- The UK economy has been stagnating for nearly two decades, with living standards flatlining across most of the country
- Labour won a massive majority in 2024 but failed to use Brexit opportunities to experiment with different economic approaches
- Starmer's strategy of seeking closer EU relations without rejoining the single market or customs union provides no demonstrable benefits while accepting limits on Britain's room to maneuver
- Voters are punishing both major parties for failing to deliver meaningful change, as evidenced by Labour's recent electoral losses to the Greens and Reform UK
- There are only two logically coherent positions: either use Brexit freedoms to rebuild the economy (like East Asian countries) or acknowledge Brexit was a mistake and campaign to reverse it
Assumptions
- Brexit actually provided meaningful economic freedoms that could be utilized for national benefit
- Voters' anger stems primarily from economic stagnation rather than other political factors
- A clear, committed strategy on either side of the Brexit divide would be more politically successful than a compromise position
- The financial services sector's post-Brexit success demonstrates that Brexit freedoms can work when properly utilized