At the General Committee of Lewisham North last night we agreed to send a motion calling for the abolition of the two child benefit cap, and also proposed a reference back of the NPF report. I intiallly proposed the words in a blog article posted last week. This article repeats some of the text of the reference back and my notes for my moving speech, and right of reply, as it was opposed by both those who think that being outside the EU is a good thing, and those who fear Farage and think the time is wrong.
The crux of the reference back is,
Conference calls on the NPF to look beyond the ’24 manifesto commitments with respect to the EU relationship and to press for faster re-alignment with the EU single market within this parliament and to examine the possibility of rejoining the European Union being a manifesto promise for the next general election.
Here are my notes, in moving the proposal,
The NPF report talks of much progress but draws little conclusions. It makes much of the UK-EU summit in May, which itself was inconclusive. No agreements were made. Not even on the softest of targets, Defence.
This reference back calls for the NPF to consider looking beyond the ’24 manifesto commitments with respect to the EU relationship and to press for faster re-alignment with the EU single market, within this parliament, and to examine the possibility of rejoining the European Union being a manifesto promise for the next general election.
In addition to its lack of ambition, the report fails to mention the reset meetings requirements that the UK must fully implement its commitments under the “withdrawal agreement”, the Windsor framework and the “Trade and cooperation agreement” and that, as said, it failed to conclude any improvement in the formal relationships between the United Kingdom and the European Union, including on youth mobility.
The OBR estimates that exit from the single market has cost the economy 4% of its value, this is not something that a growth mission driven government should leave on the table.
The fundamental reason for the UK’s poor economic performance is a lack of investment. Rejoining the single market would ease the entry of European capital into the UK investment market, and help to remediate the unpatriotic and global nature of the shrinking London capital markets which leaves the primary source of domestic investment to retained profits. It would also make the housing market goals easier to achieve as in order to build more houses the UK needs skills, effort and bricks from abroad.
A changed mood disguised by Brexit adjacent red-lines are not enough and chasing the dying Brexiteer vote is not a strategy for success.
But when making policy, we need to consider what’s right and not just what’s popular.
Please send this to Conference so it is at least debated and visible.
And my notes of my right of reply,
The referendum decision was taken three elections and 9 years ago. It is a dead and failed mandate.
For those of you who hang onto your line from the seventies, you were wrong in 79, wrong in 2016 and wrong today; for those that argue it’s a barrier to a socialist government may I remind you of the author of the doctrine of “Socialism in one country”.
For those that fear giving Farage space, you can’t fight him by agreeing with him. He’s wrong on Europe and wrong on immigration and we need to say so.
For those who fear Reform’s reaction, when making policy and making promises, at least those we mean to keep, we should consider what’s right and not what’s popular with people who will never vote for us.
Our Spanish comrade suggested this is premature, he argues the Party needs an agreement about how to rejoin and that will take us time. I say what better way to start the conversation than by taking it to Labour Conference.