MURRAY FOOTE: We can reset Brexit – why not independence? |
Suspend belief for a moment, if you will, to imagine that Keir Starmer dodges the vultures circling the carcass of his premiership and somehow blunders on to lead Labour into a general election in autumn 2028.
His party is neck and neck with the Tories but 10 points behind Reform. To win, he needs snookers – or a radical policy that will transform his prospects.
After years of prevaricating, he opts for a hard reset on Brexit and announces he would legislate for a second referendum to take Britain back into the European Union if Labour is returned to government.
His gamble works. On a wave of anti-Brexit sentiment, Starmer scrapes together a majority and wins a second term. He immediately sets the date for a Reverse Brexit Referendum in June 2029 – exactly 13 years after the Leave vote.
Both Reform and the Tories are apoplectic but they’re powerless to prevent the contentious vote going ahead because Labour won a mandate to enact this particular policy fairly and squarely.
It really isn’t a difficult concept; it’s how our democracy works.
Or is it? because there appears to be a veto on democracy that is reserved for one specific party and one specific manifesto pledge – the SNP’s commitment to hold........