Columnists

The battle to save Britain

REJOICE! Rejoice! The Battle of Downing Street is over. Now, the Battle of Britain begins. Like lions rising from slumber, the British people have risen and dealt a mighty blow to the Leave Liars.

A Tory Party fighting on the most isolationist manifesto in its history and a prime minister who gave in across the board to the xenophobic UK Independence Party (UKIP)-style hate of Europeans have been repudiated by British democracy.

Seventy-three years ago, as the democratic world rose up to save the Continent from the ravages of extreme nationalism, British soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy jointly with American, Commonwealth and European armies and units.

Now, the British people have said an emphatic “No” to the English nationalism of UKIP and the Daily Mail-Telegraph media clique. And, north of the border, Scottish nationalism has also been dealt a blow, as Scots booted out the Scottish National Party (SNP) leader in the Commons, Angus Robertson, and the SNP supremacist, Alex Salmond.

Before we exult too much in (Theresa) May’s humiliation, let us not forget that Labour under (Jeremy) Corbyn also bought into core Brexit ideas. The Labour manifesto proposed imposing immigration controls on fellow Europeans which would have been incompatible with membership of the Single Market.

According to Anatole Kaletsky, chair of Best of Britain, the YouGov poll of 1,875 voters he commissioned showed that most Brexit voters, including Tory voters and over 65-year-olds, support staying in the Single Market.

Another question the poll asked: “Do you think our government should offer EU citizens the right to travel, work, study or retire in Britain, in exchange for EU countries giving British citizens the same rights?”

Sixty two per cent agreed that keeping EU travel, work and retirement rights for British citizens should be a negotiating priority. This compares with 17 per cent in favour of immigration controls applied to all EU citizens, including British passport holders, with 21 per cent as “don’t knows”.

A final question combining the question of the single market and free movement asked: “Do you think our government should or should not allow free movement of people between Britain and EU countries in exchange for the EU allowing British businesses full access to the European single market?” Some 43 per cent supported such a deal, 31 per cent rejected it and 26 per cent were unsure.

This is part of the concrete evidence that shows the Tory-Labour election manifestos may have been too quick in surrendering to the line that voters last June voted to quit the Single Market, the Customs Union, as well as give up the right to retire in Spain, France and Greece or live and work in Europe without any obstacles as if living at home in Britain.

Napoleon famously sneered at the Britain as a “nation of shopkeepers”. It is deep in the instincts of the average British citizen that we do well when markets and frontiers are open to British commerce, citizens and ideas. This should be the line of argument in the opening rounds of the Battle for Britain now that the Battle of Downing Street is over.

It should also not be forgotten that in June of last year, there was a clear majority of Remain members of parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons, in the two-thirds range. If anything, that majority has now become larger, as quite a few venomously anti-EU Tories got defeated at the polls.

Moreover, MPs from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (other than Unionist supremacists) were all opposed to amputating the United Kingdom from Europe. So, too, were most Labour MPs and more than half of Conservative MPs.

As British voters slowly wake up to the massive economic damage of leaving the Single Market and Customs Union would do to jobs, it is high time for politicians to take a fresh look.

There is also a need for a serious debate inside the Labour Party. It is clear that adopting a Brexit line on the Single Market and the rights of British and Europeans citizen to work and live in each other’s nations has made Labour largely indistinguishable from the Tories on Brexit.

Corbyn must recognise that, despite his personal political triumph (which is especially impressive in view of the establishment onslaught directed at him), he largely won a protest vote. He stood up against public sector cuts, inequality, no wage increases for a decade.

It was thus largely his opting for a much softer Britain that gave him his 40 per cent voting share. In addition, Labour did best in London where Labour MPs campaigned against leaving the Single Market and Customs Union, and against adopting internal migration controls.

Last year, just five very rich men provided 61 per cent of the funds for the Leave campaign. Are there no men and women ready to bankroll a serious campaign to defend Britain and its citizens from the isolationists and the economic amputationists?

As David Davis, May’s Brexit Minister, himself says: “A democracy that cannot change its mind ceases to be a democracy.”

It is time for a new democratic campaign to defend core British rights and interests which cannot be enhanced by leaving the Single Market and Custom Union.

The plebiscite win for the Leave Liars last year is not the last word. Parliament must once again be the centre of national debate. In particular, pro-European Tories like Amber Rudd need to encourage ministers like Philip Hammond and others who have serious doubts about Brexit.

A pivotal battle was lost last June and a battle was won on Thursday. But, we need to train and find resources for a longer campaign to save Britain for the 21st century by keeping our great country part of the community of EU nations.

Denis Macshane is a former UK minister for Europe under Tony Blair and a contributing editor to ‘The Globalist’, where this article first appeared

Most Popular
Related Article
Says Stories