"So what could be more helpful than for everyone involved every cabinet minister, every backbencher, every commentator to reach back into their memory and find the stupidest thing that was ever said about Brexit, and say it again in a more excitable voice. Get ready for Brexit-argument bingo; if you think you've heard them all before, that's why it's so fun. Keir Starmer jumped first, even before the byelection was on the cards."
"First, a straight popularity contest for Andy Burnham, which itself is a worry, because there must be a limit to how many times you can be called King of the North without it boiling your brain, and if that limit exists at all, it must surely have been reached. Second, it's a limbering-up round for the coming Labour leadership challenge. Third, and most importantly, Makerfield is a test of what Labour would have to look like to beat Reform when it matters."
"After announcing a plan to nationalise steel an industry that is already under government control he made some huge admissions about Brexit, followed by some even larger promises. He said it had made us poorer, it had sent migration through the roof and it had made us less secure. It wasn't what you'd call hold-the-front-page, since it's common knowledge that Brexit has made us poorer; but it's extremely surprising, of course, to hear the prime minister make a straightforward statement on the EU which relates to reality."
"More surprising still was the news that: This Labour government will be defined by rebuilding our relationship with Europe and putting Britain at the heart of Europe. How that would work is perplexing, without breaching those red lines that we're all supposed to understand even though they make no sense."
The Makerfield byelection is framed as a three-part event: a direct popularity contest for Andy Burnham, a warm-up for an upcoming Labour leadership challenge, and a key test of what Labour would need to look like to beat Reform when it matters. The piece predicts that participants will repeat the most extreme Brexit claims in a more excited tone, turning the campaign into “Brexit-argument bingo.” Keir Starmer is described as jumping early by announcing a plan to nationalise steel while making major admissions about Brexit, including claims that it made the country poorer, increased migration, and reduced security. It also notes promises about rebuilding the relationship with Europe while keeping “red lines,” presenting the approach as perplexing.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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