A prominent Labor MP today condemned her party’s self-imposed silence on Brexit, saying it was in the hands of Boris Johnson and hampering attempts to tackle urgent issues such as the cost of living crisis and climate change.
Writing for the Observer, Stella Crisis suggests that Labor’s defensive approach is tantamount to betraying those who voted to stay in the EU in 2016.
Labor, she said, cannot and should not wait until the next general election to talk about areas where Brexit is clearly failing and the benefits of closer co-operation with our European neighbors.
“For fear of saying something wrong, many Labor members say it is better not to talk about Brexit at all. But such restraint does not honor those who voted to leave or stay, “she wrote. “Everyone wanted their vote to mean something better than chaos at the borders or endangered businesses.
Crisis, who chairs the Workers’ Movement for Europe, adds: “Whether [it is] businesses overburdened with bureaucracy, [or] care homes lack staff or rising food prices, the public is wondering why such difficulties continue to occur – and finding MPs to avoid an honest answer, let alone a solution. To fix something, you must first name it. And that means overcoming the myth that talking about Europe is a code for holding referendums again.
Her comments come amid growing frustration among many Labor MPs and activists over Keira Starmer’s refusal to examine in detail the Brexit issue, which he campaigned vigorously for before becoming leader and was ready to oppose the then leader Jeremy Corbyn. Starmer was a leading supporter of a second referendum on EU membership, arguing that membership was undeniably in the UK’s national interest.
However, now the Labor leadership – based on reading the data from the focus groups – is reluctant to allow any of its MEPs to talk about closer ties with Europe or too sympathetic to what the EU is doing for fear of repel Brexit voters behind the Red Wall. He also believes that Boris Johnson will take every opportunity to attack the party for wanting to rejoin the EU.
Last Monday, at a Labor Labor meeting, shadow Foreign Minister David Lamy told lawmakers that when talking about the Northern Ireland Protocol, it was important to clarify that both countries were Brussels, not just the UK government. – need to be more flexible. MEPs saw his remarks as an instruction not to allow themselves to be branded as too pro-European in the media or by the Tories.
A senior member of the front bench said: “All he does is create a vacuum in which we say nothing and Johnson can dictate the debate on Europe and Brexit. This is very disappointing. At some point, we need to start talking about this. “
No one in the parliamentary party advocates a policy of re-joining the EU. But there are people who would like to see closer involvement in the Labor market with the Labor government and a return to EU rules on free movement, especially as evidence grows that Brexit harms trade and contributes to rising prices.
Many of these lawmakers say Starmer should give a speech outlining how Labor sees Brexit as irreversible and does not support re-entry into the EU, but is still true to its values as an internationalist party that wants to build on -close relations with our European partners.
Last week, the shadow Labor minister, Anna McMorin, was criticized by Labor for saying she would like the UK to return to the EU’s single market if her party formed the next government.
In his article Crisis, he wrote: “We cannot solve the crisis with the cost of living without reconsidering what has caused the exit from the single market and the customs union with food shopping. Economic growth has fallen by 4% from the 2016 trend – each percentage point represents 9 billion pounds of lost revenue for vital public services. How can it be fair that our constituents are now paying more to feed their families, small businesses are struggling to import or export, and our children are missing out on opportunities while the political elite still claims to be “regaining control” – but still no. ”
A proposal for the Liverpool Labor Party conference in September, submitted by the Labor Freedom Movement campaign and supported by Momentum, supports a return to the EU’s open borders agreement.
Ben Taush of the Labor Campaign for Free Movement said: “The cessation of free movement was the largest extension of border controls in recent UK history, but attacks on migrant rights and human rights are still intensifying. The Tories’ anti-immigrant program aims to divide the working class and convince us that foreigners are to blame for the decline in living standards. This was the story behind their exit campaign, and we will not defeat it by pretending it is not happening or, worse, by offering a soft version.
“Most Labor members agree and we look forward to a strong presentation of our proposal this year.
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