Here is Labour’s “Growth Minister” – three words that should never sit next to each other in a sentence – Lord Livermore standing at the Lords despatch box claiming it is an “inevitability” that Brexit will be undone:
“We are seeking to mitigate at the margins the huge damage done to the UK economy by Brexit… should we in due course re-enter the European Union, well of course, my personal view is that that is an inevitability. Of course the Uk will at one point re-enter the European Union because it is absolutely in our economic interest…”f
It is almost ten years exactly since the referendum, and the likes of Livermore still haven’t recovered. At least he gets to carry around a red box and call himself the Financial Secretary to the Treasury. Labour’s rejoin efforts are now so obvious they can be observed from outer space. Will Starmer disagree with these comments?
The lobby of Westminster journalists has been cajoled by the government into reporting Labour plans to align with the EU single market via secondary legislation and without votes in parliament. Using so-called ‘Henry VIII powers’…
The substantive news was announced by Reeves at her Mais lecture and fleshed out by the FT three weeks ago, which said “the bill would allow Britain to adopt EU regulations to clear the way for an EU-UK food and agriculture trade deal… it would also pave the way for ministers to transfer other EU laws on to the UK statute book in future… government officials say Britain will seek ‘carve outs’ from some elements of EU rules and that MPs will have some kind of ‘oversight mechanism.'” The breathless reporting from papers rushing to get their ‘exclusives’ out tells you how much the lobby is a poodle to No10…
Readouts fired from the top of government last night caused the entire herd of Lobby hacks to type up exactly what they’re told on the phone. The government wants to have a fight over the EU reset right now… it wants to have it known that it is forcing single market alignment through because it thinks that will make it popular…
The Guardian reported the same thing as the FT – three weeks later – and claimed an ‘exclusive.’ Every other outlet followed suit. A No10 SpAd telling you something on the blower that’s already public does not a scoop make…
Some hacks have realised their mistake. Pippa Crerar posted on X today after the Guardian made a song and dance of its fake exclusive: “Keir Starmer confirms our stories in recent weeks that government wants power to sign up to EU single market rules *without* normal parliamentary vote.” Embarrassing…
The European Council has approved Labour’s rejoining the EU’s Erasmus scheme for 2027 this morning. Higher taxes to pay billions to the bloc…
That means two new negotiations are starting. One on placing the UK inside the EU’s internal electricity market – which will likely entail massive rule-taking and bill rises – and one on a new payment mechanism for sending cash to the EU:
“The agreement would establish a permanent mechanism for an appropriate financial contribution of the UK towards reducing economic, social and territorial disparities between the regions of the EU, applicable to the electricity agreement and any further agreement affording the UK access to the Union’s internal market. The financial contribution of the UK should appropriately reflect the relative size of the UK’s economy and the proportion of the internal market in which the UK aims to participate in line with consistent EU policy.
It is important for the EU that both agreements should follow parallel paths and enter into force and apply simultaneously.”
Labour working hard to reduce friction and barriers on taxpayer cash it has earmarked for lining EU pockets…
UPDATE: Mike Wood MP, Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, said:
“This deal goes far beyond rejoining schemes like Erasmus.
The UK is now being subjected to pay into funding EU infrastructure, regeneration and cross-border projects across Europe that bring no direct benefit to the British public.
“Keir Starmer appears ready to sign up to substantial payments to Brussels without securing meaningful returns – raising serious questions about value for money for hardworking British taxpayers.“
Rachel Reeves is set to beat the drum for even closer ties to Brussels in her Mais lecture this afternoon. Here is what she’ll say, for those who can’t bear to listen:
“In this changing world, Britain is not powerless. We can shape our own future. Our method is stability, investment and reform — through an active and strategic state. Today, I am making three big choices on the greatest growth opportunities for Britain in the decade to come: growth in every part of Britain, AI and innovation, and a deeper relationship with the EU.”
The government is planning a sector-by-sector audit to align UK regulations with the EU, starting with food standards, chemicals, and aerospace. There’s also a ‘youth mobility deal’ and a push to have British components counted as European under new EU content rules. Negotiations (terms of surrender) are expected to begin at a summit this summer. Any hope of achieving real growth has gone down the plumbing, so they are pulling the emergency EU lever…
Labour has finally revealed the size of its specialist EU Surrender Unit. Handing power back to the EU is basically the only foreign policy plank Starmer has left…
When Guido revealed the unit had been founded it was said between 50 and 60 staff – mostly from the FCDO – were working on the team. Then last year the government refused to say how many personnel made up the ‘EU Relations Secretariat’ in the Cabinet Office. Now the department reveals in answer to a written Parliamentary question: “As of February 2026, there are around 80 members of staff in the EU Relations Secretariat.“ Hire some more Navy staff instead and the government might be able to deploy a navy vessel to a conflict zone in less than six months…
EU matters are run on the Whitehall side mostly by old Blairite hands. Shudder…
While Bad Al was visiting Ukraine when he was handed “an official EU folder for my work to get the UK back in” from EU ambassador Katarina Mathernova. What on earth are those trainers…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”