“It’s a very long list – we’re talking about the Hartlepools, the Grimsbys, Barnsley, places like Wigan, where this byelection is going to be, and we were losing to a party [Reform UK] which until recently was called the Brexit party.

And to suggest the solution now is for us to reopen that debate is just staggering”

So that would be a ‘shut up Wes about #Brexit and rejoining the EU…get your head back in the sand like the rest of the #Labour party. Silence is strength!’

I see David Lammy has also been sent out to bat on #Starmer ‘s behalf:

“We have the opportunity of a lifetime to deliver on behalf of the British people. This is not a sixth form debate. It is delivery on behalf of the British people.

Across the country in sixth forms, you can discuss what the position should be on #Europe.”

Yes, because those young intelligent minds are our future. Their future has been blighted by those largely at the end of their lives who voted for #Brexit in 2016.

The number of people with a ‘Very Negative’ view of what #Brexit has done for the UK are currently rising dramatically….

This is not just a question debated in 6th form debating societies. Wake up #Starmer.

https://www.whatukthinks.org/eu/questions/do-you-think-the-uks-decision-to-leave-the-eu-has-had-a-positive-or-negative-impact-on-the-country/

Andy #Burnham is going to crash and burn…

“My view is that #Brexit has been damaging, but I also believe the last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments.

Britain will be stuck in a permanent rut if we’re just constantly arguing and people are pulling away from each other…

I am not proposing that the UK considers rejoining the EU.”

Brexit was wrong and we’re living with the consequences. But if Burnham thinks keeping his mouth shut on it will stop Reform he’s deluded.

But no one is buying your incrementalism #Starmer…and no one is feeling the benefits you claim:

“The way I see it is this: we inherited a really bad #Brexit deal that Boris Johnson has negotiated. It was a botched deal. It doesn’t work for businesses, doesn’t work for the country.

What I’ve done in two years is to completely reset our relations with our EU partners, to already have improved on that deal, which is what I did last year.”

As I’ve already said here, I’m no fan of Wes #Streeting, but staying out in the political wilderness as a country is harming us financially and in terms of safety. That has to be acknowledged.

I don’t think offering to rejoin the EU is the political gold it should be for Streeting.

But I do think he’s widening the Overton Window.

We will see other parties such as the #Greens, #LibDems and nationalist parties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland benefit from his kite flying.

The best argument I’ve heard for #Streeting proposing to rejoin the EU is that he’s still hoping to fight a leadership contest without #Burnham in it.

#Makerfield was a Leave voting constituency that is overwhelmingly white with more elderly voters than nearby. It’s far from certain that Burnham can win here against #Reform.

But 80% of #Labour membership are Remainers. That is who Streeting is really appealing to in a Burnham free leadership contest.