Best Of

As I said yesterday, Wes needs something popular with Labour members that doesn’t involve him backing the left. There aren’t many candidates

His problem is that it won't be a coronation and his rival(s) are likely to take the same approch to slow Rejoin.

No, Wes's problem is that his party might take the view that now is the time for a woman to lead Labour.

His advantage is that many Labour backbenchers, worried about retaining seats they unexpectedly won in the 2024 landslide, might be wary of Ed Miliband who has already lost a general election. It is even likely that Miliband himself realises this and is aiming instead at Number 11. I gather some PB shrewdies have taken 33/1 against such a contingency.

Are we seriously back talking about what “A” customs union, rather than “THE” customs union, looks like in practice?

Ask the Turks what “A” CU looks like, it’s terribly one-sided.

Good morning, everyone.

Mr. Sandpit, easier (and less honest) to try and get us closer and closer to the EU then say "We may as well join seeing as we're already bound by their decisions but currently have no say" than it is to actually make a case for rejoining.

Oh, and all of the post-Brexit trade agreements, including with the US and the CP-TPP, will need to be torn up in order to rejoin anything EU-based.

I do rather enjoy the way Remainers studiously ignore the politics of the EU since we left.

Currently we are missing the fight on Mercosur, the perennial budget dispute and the death of the AI industry. Not forgetting of course the reverse gear on car emissions.

You're just making the case why they need us back.

Are we seriously back talking about what “A” customs union, rather than “THE” customs union, looks like in practice?

Ask the Turks what “A” CU looks like, it’s terribly one-sided.

Good morning, everyone.

Mr. Sandpit, easier (and less honest) to try and get us closer and closer to the EU then say "We may as well join seeing as we're already bound by their decisions but currently have no say" than it is to actually make a case for rejoining.

That approach has consistently failed to win over public opinion in Norway, however. But Norway was never foolish enough to volunteer for a damaging separation, and we would have been less foolish to have copied the Norwegian approach from the beginning.

FPT

But...at the 2024 general election, the Labour Party polled exactly 10% more than the Conservative Party. Labour is now BEHIND the Conservatives. That is AN achievement.

If - as I expect - the Tories are polling ahead of both Labour and Reform by the end of 2026, then they will have much to thank Kemi Badenoch for.

If you’re slowly bleeding to death, seeing someone else having their head chopped off is hardly an achievement?

But the bleeding has been staunched in 2025. The Conservative Party is in a better position now than it was in the summer. The same cannot be said of Labour.

This chart gives the shits for Labour, Reform, the LibDems...and people trying to ignore it is frankly hilarious.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election#/media/File:Opinion_polling_graph_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election_(post-2024).svg

Are we seriously back talking about what “A” customs union, rather than “THE” customs union, looks like in practice?

Ask the Turks what “A” CU looks like, it’s terribly one-sided.

Good morning, everyone.

Mr. Sandpit, easier (and less honest) to try and get us closer and closer to the EU then say "We may as well join seeing as we're already bound by their decisions but currently have no say" than it is to actually make a case for rejoining.

Oh, and all of the post-Brexit trade agreements, including with the US and the CP-TPP, will need to be torn up in order to rejoin anything EU-based.

Yes but they were Tory trade agreements so don't matter/ don't count.

Are we seriously back talking about what “A” customs union, rather than “THE” customs union, looks like in practice?

Ask the Turks what “A” CU looks like, it’s terribly one-sided.

Good morning, everyone.

Mr. Sandpit, easier (and less honest) to try and get us closer and closer to the EU then say "We may as well join seeing as we're already bound by their decisions but currently have no say" than it is to actually make a case for rejoining.

Oh, and all of the post-Brexit trade agreements, including with the US and the CP-TPP, will need to be torn up in order to rejoin anything EU-based.

I do rather enjoy the way Remainers studiously ignore the politics of the EU since we left.

Currently we are missing the fight on Mercosur, the perennial budget dispute and the death of the AI industry. Not forgetting of course the reverse gear on car emissions.