NEWS · 06 July 2024
The Brexit government is out. Brexit and its aftermath brought the Tory party to a disastrous result.
We can’t underestimate the importance of getting the Tories out. It restores basic competence in government and ends the period of needing to defend against disgraces such as the Rwanda scheme – scrapped in one of the new government’s first acts – or threats to leave the European Convention on Human Rights.
And, despite Labour’s current policy, the election result means that Britain has taken a big step towards rejoining the EU.
Push and pull towards the EU
Yes, Labour promised not to rejoin this time in order to get the ‘red wall’ vote back. They won’t go back on that pledge tomorrow.
But they also know that, having ruled out public spending increases and most tax rises, getting closer to the EU is one of the only levers they have to increase economic growth. And they need growth desperately.
This opens a situation where the government will be pulled, as a matter of economic gravity, back towards the EU. And at the same time, campaigners can give them a push.
The pull and the push together will be powerful. This is the next phase of the campaign.
Labour’s baby steps
While the election doesn’t open a path to rejoining rapidly, the new government can and will be forced to walk the next steps on the road to rejoin.
With the right campaigning strategy, the UK will move ever closer to the EU, ever more aligned.
Labour’s manifesto – despite ruling out the single market – makes its plan clear. It pledges to “improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU”, do a veterinary agreement for food import/export, help touring musicians and agree an “ambitious new UK-EU security pact”. All of these phrases are open to significant interpretation in a more expansive direction.
Brexit has already visibly failed, even for its supporters, with huge costs and no benefits. Increasing our ties to the EU again brings the day closer when it will become clear that staying outside is pointless.
Campaigning inside the political parties, especially Labour, is also important to build up support for a fuller rejoin position. Remember that the majority of Labour members support rejoining the EU.
What now?
There are several parallel tracks. Many of the candidates who we highlighted as pro-European during the election won their seats. Now we need to push them to follow through on the courage of their convictions and take every opportunity to move the UK back closer to the EU.
Most importantly, we will continue to shift public opinion by involving the greatest numbers and busting the myths about whether rejoining is possible. We will continue to build the Rejoin movement.
Rejoin continues to be ahead of schedule. Just as reaching 60% in polling support for rejoin came sooner than even optimists expected, so the defeat for the Brexit Tory government came five years sooner than we dared to dream back in 2019.
The next stop will be the third National Rejoin March in late September – date announcement coming very soon.
We want to make rejoining the EU the biggest mass movement under the new government – too big for them to ignore any more.
