Liz Truss’ disastrous “mini-Budget” torpedoed confidence that Brexit would deliver an economic boost for Britain, says a leading polling expert.
Sir John Curtice, Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University, also stressed that electorally there could be benefits for the Labour Government to seek closer ties with the European Union given that even Leave voters now say Brexit has done more harm than good economically.
Even Brexit architect Nigel Farage has said it has failed but he has sought to blame Tory governments for not delivering it properly.
The Office for Budget Responsibility and other economists say quitting the EU has dealt a multi-billion pound blow to Britain’s economy.
While Sir Keir Starmer’s party had lost some support to Mr Farage’s Reform UK, mainly among Leave voters who had backed Labour, it also faces a battle against the Liberal Democrats and Greens who are taking an increasingly anti-Brexit public stance.
“It’s not clear that it’s going to continue to be in Labour’s advantage electorally at least not to be talking about Brexit,” Sir John told Times Radio.
Polls show about 58 per cent of voters in Britain now back rejoining the EU, he added, with 42 per cent against doing so.
“The event in particular that seems to have shifted attitudes towards the economics of Brexit is the Liz Truss fiscal event,” he explained referring to the September 2022 “mini Budget” which sparked economic turmoil in Britain.
“This has been very little recognised but the Liz Truss fiscal event did not just undermine confidence in the economic abilities of the Conservative government, it also seemed to undermine confidence in the economic benefits of the project (Brexit) with which the Conservative Party including Liz Truss were associated with.”
Sir John believes closer economic ties with the EU on its own is not going to reverse Labour’s unpopularity among voters, with the party at or close to a record low in the polls, including in London where it is on 32 per cent, according to a Savanta UK survey.
But he stressed that as part of a broader strategy it might help to deliver for the Government a “sense of purpose” in the eyes of people who voted Labour at the last general election.
“If Labour were to want to try to push the closer EU agenda further it’s not clear that it comes with significant downside risk,” he said.
He added that Sir Keir’s party had avoided talking about Brexit as it was seeking to reconnect with Leave supporters but he emphasised that 80 per cent of Labour’s vote comes from people who are in favour of being inside the EU.
The Government has also struck a limited new trade deal with Brussels, as well as ones with the US and India.
In a speech to the City of London earlier this week, the Prime Minister stressed that Britain must not shrink back from a “chaotic world” as he underlined his commitment to internationalism.
He stressed that the way the UK’s departure from the EU had been “sold and delivered” was “simply wrong”.
He said: “Wild promises were made to the British people and not fulfilled. We are still dealing with the consequences today.”
As the Government’s critics sought to portray its position on Europe as a betrayal of voters over Brexit, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said it was not looking to rejoin the Customs Union but instead to build partnerships with the EU to boost trade and other ties.
