A clear majority of the British public now believes Brexit has been bad for the UK economy, has driven up prices in shops, and has hampered government attempts to control immigration, according to a landmark poll by Opinium to mark the third anniversary of the UK fully leaving the EU single market and customs unions.
The survey of more than 2,000 UK voters also finds strikingly low numbers of people who believe that Brexit has been of benefit to them or the country.
The problem with a failing economy is that it’s very hard to get it back on track. Where Brexit has truly failed us is in accountability, as those that made the decision and pushed the populist opinion to leave won’t see many hardships from it.
IMO, a Labour government should look to reverse Brexit in everything but name. Set trade deals, introduce freedom of movement to allow British people to take opportunities in the EU for higher salaries (a reverse on the last decision), and push it as a win for trade. As for accountability, many will disagree with this, but I think the only way out is to remove the pension lock and start taxing those that have holdings. Set a cap on the price of second homes to reduce by 1% every year (so people don’t immediately sell to the cash rich and crash the market, but not slow enough that savings are secure), and invest heavily in growing economies.
Many don’t think Starmer will be progressive, but given his record and reputation in the CPS, I think he might be playing things safe until an election is won. I have surprisingly high hopes for a Labour manifesto, if independently coated.