The Lib Dems provide a service to democracy by backing Rejoin

The Lib Dems have adopted a policy of joining the single market as a step towards ultimately rejoining the EU, writes John Rentoul

Ed Davey campaigning against Brexit (AFP via Getty)

The Liberal Democrats were so badly burnt by their Brexit policy at the last election that they can be forgiven for being cautious about going back into the water.

In 2019, Jo Swinson believed her own propaganda, and so adopted a policy of revoking Brexit altogether without a further referendum. It did not go well, for her or for her party. She lost her seat, and the party was reduced to just 11 MPs.

It was understandable, then, that Ed Davey, when he became leader, tried to avoid the subject of Europe altogether. However, he could not prevent the party’s internal democracy from supporting the “ultimate goal” of rejoining the EU, and this weekend’s spring conference passed a leadership-approved motion setting out a step-by-step approach to that aim.

The motion says that “the best option, bringing most benefits to the UK economy and society, is to seek to join the single market”. That implies a status like Norway’s, part of the EU market, including free movement of people, but outside the political structures of the EU. I don’t see the point of it myself: I think you are either in, in which case be in the whole thing; or you’re out, in which case why give up one of the most important attributes of sovereignty, control over borders?

But I think it is important that a major political party is arguing to rejoin, whatever stages there may be on the way. The latest opinion poll from Redfield & Wilton found that 55 per cent of British voters want to stay out of the EU, but 45 per cent want to join. That is a large minority, and it seems odd that the two main parties are operating a conspiracy of silence on the question.

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Labour’s policy is that it will “make Brexit work”, which at least acknowledges the majority view that it is not working very well at the moment, but Keir Starmer shies away from any suggestion of even renegotiating the treaties (the withdrawal agreement and the trade and co-operation agreement), let alone anything beyond that.

I can see why he is not prepared to consider what I think would be a reasonable compromise, which would be to argue for joining the EU customs union, which would make us richer and the border problems at Dover and in Northern Ireland more manageable. That was Theresa May’s compromise; it was a superb deal and Labour MPs should have voted for it when they had the chance. But to try to argue for it now would appear to be trying to undo Brexit, and too soon after it had happened.

That means, though, there is space for a party to argue for the benefits of (eventually) rejoining the EU. It is an important argument that deserves to be made, and if the official opposition won’t, the Liberal Democrats are providing a service to democracy by making it.

Yours,

John Rentoul

Chief political commentator