Labour’s reset with the EU will fail to deliver a significant boost to economic growth. A fundamental refashioning of the EU-UK relationship would require Labour to think again about freedom of movement. Generals, it is said, are always preparing to fight the last war. Similarly, British politicians are always preparing to confront the issues that dominated British politics around the Brexit referendum for fear of unleashing a populist backlash. But this leaves them unable to confront the issues of tomorrow. Labour’s red lines have hamstrung the government’s approach to Europe, leaving it with few options to reverse the economic damage that Brexit has wrought. The fear of revisiting freedom of movement has been particularly damaging.
Author: Aslak Berg, Research fellow – Centre for European Reform.
This article is available on the Centre for European Reform.
