𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The current confusion over the leadership of Labour reminds me of the troubles that faced John Major. John Major’s blunt language telling his party to put up or shut up was his response to continuous briefing from undeclared people that the government would be much more successful if it were led by Michael Hesletine or Michael Portillo. Much newsprint was used running fantasy leadership elections in the names of the two favoured replacements, rather like Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting today.

I did not allow my name to be used against the PM, being loyal to him in public. In private I sought to get him to change policy away from the dangerous path he was walking which was bound to end in electoral disaster. When he resigned and challenged his critics, the two Michaels would not put up – so I did. It was obvious that on his course the Conservatives were doomed and the country was suffering. I said to the party, “No change, no chance.” They chose “no chance” and we duly went down in a crushing defeat to be exiled from office out of office for 13 years.

Both the present PM and his critics can learn from these events. The PM is in a way facing down his critics, but so far lacks the means to close it down promptly. John Major’s short contest did close it down, and I helped by standing down my supporters as soon as we lost.

Keir Starmer’s main critics are dragging out the agony and refusing to issue a challenge. The country is allowed to know several leading figures want the PM out, but not allowed to hear what their better plans are that might lift the country’s mood and start to tackle the big problems this government has created or made worse.

The PM has shown he is tone deaf and does not understand the mood of an angry people. Labour recently polled especially badly in areas voting Leave in the EU referendum.

So why does he make his main idea for the future to cosy up to the EU, accept more of its laws, levies and taxes whilst ignoring the clear Brexit mandate he said he understood to win the last election? In this John Major and Keir Starmer have a lot in common.

Both sacrificed their popularity and risked their job as PM for the sake of aligning more closely with the EU. John Major has gone to Keir’s aid in sympathy with his plight, understanding how unpopular a slavish pro-EU policy that does not boost growth can make you.

John Major as Chancellor forced us into a bad European scheme to control our currency which ended in catastrophic failure after he had become PM. He ignored those of us who warned him of the dangers, and ignored us again when we proposed quicker and better ways out of the disaster the EU had delivered.

Keir Starmer is doing a series of expensive and bad deals with the EU with no support from the Opposition or from many former Labour voters. Far from boosting growth, his reset will depress it further.

Far from cutting our unacceptably high energy bills, entering the EU carbon tax and emissions trading scheme will increase energy costs more. Industrial recovery can only start with much cheaper energy, not dearer.

Far from helping more of our young people study abroad, Erasmus will limit them to EU universities only whilst spending far more of our tax money on paying for EU students to come here. Doing a deal to align our laws more closely with the EU threatens our trade deals with other parts of the world. It is unlikely to grow our goods exports to the EU overall given the UK policies that are banning some of our key past exports of oil, gas, oil products and petrol cars.

Giving away so much of our fish for 12 years stops us rebuilding our fishing industry and attracting onshore investment in fish processing and food manufacturing. The planned Youth Opportunity scheme will mean many more people up to 30 years old coming here looking for work, housing and government support when too many of our own young people lack jobs and their own homes. Paying the EU money for these Agreements will add to our deficit and require more economy bashing tax rises.

It is strange how the long shadow of Europe makes some of our Prime Ministers do so many unpopular things to appease the bosses in Brussels. The UK voted to take back control.

Any PM who does not understand that, or who fails to use our independence to make us freer and more prosperous, faces endless challenges to their job and authority. The PM has broken his promises on growth, taxes and illegal migration. More EU will not reverse these mistakes and will not make him better loved by the millions of voters who have left him.

Hitching the UK to a low-growth, over-taxed, over-regulated economic zone will bind us into continuing poor performance, when we have the opportunity to break free. The problem for the country is the possible replacements for Keir Starmer may be no better or may be worse.