Can Keir Starmer Save Britain From Brexit? – The New York Times

Last Updated: November 26, 2017By

Keir Starmer, the Labour Party’s point man on Brexit, speaking at the party conference in September. Some say he is trying to draw out the process, hoping the public will turn decisively against it [Image: Ben Stansall/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images].

He’s not trying, according to this New York Times piece.

But the claim that he is trying to draw out the process of Brexit, until citizens of the UK are so sick of it that they want it stopped, is interesting.

The decision to leave the European Union has come under intense scrutiny, with evidence showing that the vote was won with lies – and with a propaganda war that may have been financed illegally.

If the allegations are proved accurate, it’s possible that the vote could be legally ruled void – in which case Brexit need not happen.

I wonder if Mr Starmer has considered that?

In recent months, [Keir] Starmer has navigated deftly around deep divisions on Brexit while giving hope not just to those who want Britain to remain close to the European Union but also to those who want Britons, to use the catchphrase, to exit from Brexit.

Mr. Starmer has not gone that far, but in August he persuaded the somewhat euroskeptical Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and others to soften Labour’s policy and call for a standstill period of transition after withdrawal, scheduled for March 2019, to protect the economy.

Within weeks, Prime Minister Theresa May had done the same. Meanwhile, Labour is harrying Mrs. May’s fragile government in Parliament, trying to build a cross-party alliance of lawmakers to amend Brexit legislation to ward off any prospect of a “cliff edge” or “no deal Brexit,” where Britain crashes out without a trade agreement.

Labour lawmakers overwhelmingly wanted to remain, but Mr. Corbyn and John McDonnell, the party’s spokesman on financial affairs, worried that the European Union’s rules might obstruct some of their interventionist economic policies.

Mr. Starmer seems to have won the point by persuading them that a rupture with the European Union would wreak enough havoc to render their economic priorities moot.

“In the end, if you want to implement a progressive set of policies, then you need a strong economy in order to do so,” Mr. Starmer said.

Mr. Starmer denies harboring a strategy for reversing Brexit, saying only that he is content to go on reconciling the Leavers and the Remainers in his party.

Source: Can Keir Starmer Save Britain From Brexit? – The New York Times


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4 Comments

  1. Jon Lisle-Summers November 27, 2017 at 5:23 am - Reply

    Keir Starmer isn’t stalling. He just keeps raising awkward questions which the Brexiteers can’t or won’t answer. In effect, he’s forcing the braying Brexiteers to have the debate we should have had before the Referendum. He’s proving very effective at it too. As a result, Labour look much stronger (and are) than than the tired third-time tea leaves of the Tory Party, no biscuits but much bickering.

  2. Carol Fraser November 27, 2017 at 9:03 am - Reply

    Could he be reason against the current madness? I sincerely hope so.

  3. NMac November 27, 2017 at 10:00 am - Reply

    Keir Starmer is one of the most capable and honest politicians in Parliament. If anyone can save Britain from itself, he can.

  4. Roy Beiley November 27, 2017 at 3:43 pm - Reply

    I like Kier Starmer. Man of integrity and a skill for interacting with his fellow Shadow Cabinet members which uses subtle tactical approaches to Brexit relying on reason and the law rather than a dogmatic political stance. He is our best hope in stopping this Brexit nonsense before we burn all our bridges.

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