You are right Mr Rt Hon Nick Thomas Symonds MP Labour Torfaen Minister for EU Relations, "alignment" is not a dirty word. It is (rather) an empty word, meaningless to pro-Brexit, pro-Rejoin & EU functionaries alike. It is a turgid Organ McWeenyism that tries, & fails, to be all things to all people, successfully antagonising all of them, now overdue for discarding (like its originator).
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-uk-eu-customs-union-nick-thomas-symonds-b2937977.html

Brexit: Britain will not rejoin EU or set up customs union, Starmer’s top negotiator warns

Exclusive: European affairs minister Nick Thomas-Symonds will tell idealogues on both sides of the Brexit debate that ‘alignment is not a dirty word’ as he seeks to embed a relationship reset with ‘ruthless pragmatism’

The Independent

@RejoinEU He said: “We won’t have a customs union. We will never go back to the days of making undeliverable promises on the side of red buses.”

But if he's really worried about undeliverable promises, why does he force us to continue living in this made-up land of unicorns, that turned out to be a hellscape? In any case, even the leave campaign said we would remain in a customs union. Nobody voted for this mess. We're living in a bad dream, and he doesn't want us to wake up.

@foxcj @RejoinEU

The bus comment is particularly odd, given that it was the Leave campaign that notoriously did that. In other words, it is the refusal to face facts about our current Brexit predicament that is perpetuating fantasy politics.

@iaruffell @foxcj Agreed. Very odd. He can't have thought his illustration through. Not encouraging.