Burnham’s EU Reset Ambitions Revive Brexit Divide
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is pursuing an EU “reset” deal by end-2026, meeting Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey pledged at his party conference to put Britain “back at the centre of Europe.” Tony Blair suggested rejoining within a decade. This returns Europe to frontline UK politics amid Labour’s conference. It stands out as Burnham, in office only months after replacing Starmer, tests manifesto red lines against voter and internal pressures.
Background includes Labour’s 2024 manifesto limits on EU closeness. Most Labour voters favour rejoining (around 70%), and single-market access is pitched as funding tax cuts or growth. Burnham has long hoped for eventual rejoin. Blue Labour peer Maurice Glasman, speaking at a conference fringe, identified a “strategic void” in Burnhamism, mixed messages on direction, and warned against EU reintegration that alienates working-class Leave areas like Wigan. Glasman stressed solidarity over “excessive diversity,” industrial capacity, and bilateral partnerships rather than deeper EU ties, including on Ukraine.
Key tensions centre on electoral arithmetic: Burnham lacks a clear path to another majority needed for major reversal without trust breaches. Conservatives face splits between Reform-leaning Leavers and Lib Dem Remain seats. Raising Europe’s salience risks handing Nigel Farage a defining issue, as Reform’s core support exceeds current polls among those still viewing Brexit positively. Open questions remain whether any reset stays technical (trade, cars) or signals political reintegration, and if Burnham can balance growth claims against Leave constituencies and Glasman’s critique of progressive liberalism.
Sources: UnHerd.
Britain’s Stagnation and the Case for Basic Growth
Kristian Niemietz argues Britain has endured two decades of near-stagnation, with real living standards barely advancing since the mid-2000s unlike prior generations. Visible prosperity gains of earlier eras (cars, travel, goods) are absent; young adults living with parents has risen sharply. This fuels distributional politics and populist appeals. It stands out as a core diagnosis of Europe’s largest non-euro economy amid ongoing fiscal and housing pressures.
Background: Market economies historically grow; Britain’s halt stems from self-imposed constraints. Housing supply ranks lowest in the developed world, with small units; similar shortfalls hit offices, roads, and energy. Heathrow’s third runway delays exemplify capacity limits after earlier privatisation-driven growth. Planning rules, NIMBY vetoes, endless consultations, and stringent environmental/safety standards block building. The result is an economy squeezed into outdated infrastructure, unable to expand.
Key tensions pit demands for higher spending (pensions, health, defence) without tax rises against refusal to enable supply-side basics. “Smart growth” rhetoric contrasts with the need for simple “stupid growth”—tarmac, bricks, energy capacity—without reinventing systems. Contradictions include political popularity of wealth/mansion taxes as substitutes for growth, while young people’s housing lockout drives discontent. Open questions: whether any government will override planning barriers enough to restore pre-2000s trajectories, and how this interacts with EU reset hopes for external growth boosts versus domestic supply failures.
Sources: Spiked, InvestingLive (market context on EUR pressures).