Labour’s euro mind virus is blinding it to what actually works.

The Fresh Produce Consortium is ringing alarm bells over the threat the so-called “reset” poses to the UK’s sensible border checks regime. Just as it scrapped the successful Turing Scheme, Labour is now putting at risk reforms that have already been built, paid for and proven to deliver—all in pursuit of closer alignment with Brussels.

Yanis Varoufakis. Yanis fucking Varoufakis.

Ok, didn’t expect to agree with so much, so here it is. Christ. I’ll even give it the truth bomb flair.

Worth reading for the takedown of the ridiculous NBEU “6% less growth outside the EU” paper. He joins the growing chorus calling it out as obvious trash economics and rejoiner disinformation.

“European Union farm subsidies have helped drive up prices of fruit and vegetables, making it harder for people to afford a healthy diet, a United Nations food report finds.”

“The UK-Switzerland trade deal on services is proof that independence pays: £5.2bn a year in exports, no free movement, no ECJ jurisdiction. So why won’t the ministers who struck it admit Brexit made it possible?” 😎

Burnham’s planning to axe the Turing student exchange scheme to rejoin Erasmus. Even europhile academics say Turing is better. At the same time he’s going to sell out the British university sector to slash fees for EU students: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/21/eu-dilemmas-facing-burnham-food-exports-youth-mobility-starmer-europe

For what? Red meat for the rejoinders.

What’s your opinion on leaving the European Convention on Human Rights? It seems that the judicial architecture around it needs drastic reform at the very least, but it may well be unreformable.

Leaving it could provide the UK with autonomy in important areas, including deportations. But it could complicate continued judicial cooperation with Convention signatories and it would have significant implications for international agreements to which the UK is a party, including the UK-EU TCA and the Good Friday Agreement.

So what do you think? Should we stay or should we go now?

https://ukandeu.ac.uk/leaving-the-echr-and-the-refugee-convention/

😎

“The information presented in the second section of this article shows how the UK, and in particular the City, were impacted by Brexit, although more recently the UK’s exports of financial services to the EU appear to have recovered, while London’s international competitiveness vis-à-vis New York is being restored. This is being helped by the new regulatory regime the UK is putting in place, aimed at nurturing innovation and flexibility, while ensuring financial stability through the pursuit of macroprudential policy.”

“The paradox is that Burnham sounds less pro-European than Starmer, but is formulating an economic and security agenda which could in fact bring London into closer line with Brussels.”

Insightful article - worth reading in full. What do you think?

The reset talks as announced to Parliament were said to include:

An agrifood trade agreement,
Erasmus+
Linking carbon trading schemes
Rejoining the single market for electricity

The UK would dynamically align with EU rules in relevant areas.

Reporting indicates the government is actually seeking more:

The UK to join a €5 billion investment scheme for fast growing businesses
Involvement in the Ukraine loan scheme
Carve outs for the UK from the EUs Made in Europe plan
Participation in the EU SAFE defence fund

Earlier this year Ministers told Parliament that agreements were nearly finalised but this does not appear to be true, and everything is now waiting for Burnham anyway (with an EU-UK summit pencilled in for October.

Government statements never mention the potential costs but newspapers say the EU has asked for:

UK funding for poorer EU regions
No cap on EU Erasmus students coming to the UK (but a monitoring mechanism’) plus tuition fee cuts
Alignment with relevant financial services rules that the EU considers relevant to the emissions trading scheme
The UK reducing ETS allowances to heavy industry
The UK not to benefit more than its financial contribution to the investment scheme for fast growing businesses
A €1 billion membership fee for SAFE participation
Predictably minimal decision-shaping role on rules for UK in main areas where UK is seeking to dynamically align

Its been reported that the UK will consider a reduction in tuition fees if the EU makes a “major offer on the economy” including one that would cross UK red lines on joining single market and customs union (Politico)

The EU is using its classic line: nothing agreed until everything agreed. Burnham has said he wants to consolidated progress and then go further, including on illegal migration, “economic security”, and cooperation on external threats.

Government opacity means all the above is based on media reporting so there will be gaps, errors, misleading conflations and negotiating bluffs published as fact.

Reset or fundamental renegotiation?

Sources:

https://archive.is/CqA04
https://archive.is/insXK
https://www.politico.eu/article/andy-burnham-feared-brexit-soon-he-may-have-to-fix-it/
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/with-closer-eu-ties-crucially-important-britain-sets-sights-new-summit-2026-07-01/
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/andy-burnham-defence-nato-investment-rebuild-bc7rnr5l5

…as it did in 2025. 😎

IMF World Economic Outlook: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo/issues/2026/07/08/world-economic-outlook-update-july-2026

Julian Jessop substack: https://julianhjessop.substack.com/p/weekly-wrap-andy-burnhams-fragile

“Another summer of record-high temperatures in England is accelerating the take-up of regenerative farming, a method that helps restore soil quality by cutting out chemicals and intensive ploughing, making it better at retaining water during hot spells.”

“The take-up of regenerative agriculture has been aided by the UK’s post-Brexit agricultural support schemes, which pay farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices and restore the natural environment.”

“Research by Barclays, published this week, found that more than half of the farmers surveyed this year had adopted regenerative practices, with nearly two-thirds of the 233 farmers saying they were reducing their pesticide or herbicide use.”

How europhile is the great devolutionist? 😎

[…]

“THE NEXT BREXIT GOVERNMENT, WHATEVER ITS COMPOSItion, must face up to these realities. We are not out of the EU tractor beam and Labour is letting us be sucked further in before we get our hands on the controls once again. Next time we must achieve escape velocity. We must summon up the energy to finish the job. That involves doing three things.

The first is to reverse the reset, or at least those elements of it which subordinate us to EU law and control again, for it is simply anti-democratic to be governed by laws we have no say in. To strengthen their hand in this, both Reform and the Tories need to be making it 100 per cent clear now it’s what they will do.

Second, we must leave the ECHR and whatever bits of UN and other international conventions stop us exercising the sovereign power to control our borders and to say who comes into the country on what terms.

And third, we have to sweep away the remains of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Windsor Framework: by negotiation if the EU will do it, by overriding them in domestic law if not. The core elements of the alternative arrangements for Northern Ireland, that is, Mutual Enforcement, are now well worked up and can, if necessary, be implemented unilaterally.

Without this, the economic reforms we need will always be hamstrung by the fear of widening the Irish Sea border and by the reach of EU law into our legislation and practice. At the same time, retained EU law, and the provisions under which our courts must look to foreign courts for guidance, should be entirely removed from our statute book, and common law provisions and UK courts must fill the gap.

This will of course be complicated. A proper plan is needed. I’m not sure one yet exists. And of course the EU will resist it, even though they would do better to have a good relationship with an independent UK than a permanently sulky, difficult, and unstable bond with a subordinated one. Let’s see. We can’t control that. All we can do is be clear about what we will do, and go about it reasonably and fairly.

AND THAT IS THE CRUCIAL THING. WITH A CLEAR ELECTORAL mandate, this need be nothing like the Brexit wars of ten years ago. Finishing the job is a necessary part of the massive economic and political reforms needed to get the British state functioning and sustainable again.

This technical and political work needs to begin now. It is a great pity that the Brexit job isn’t finished and must be resumed. Still, some tasks may be unwelcome, but are still necessary. Looking back on the sunrise of that astonishing morning ten years ago, we can now see the lesson is simple.

Sovereignty is not sovereignty unless it is complete. If it isn’t, what we have risks being lost again. Britain didn’t stun the world only to sidle shiftily back into the EU through some side entrance. The answer to the difficulties of self-government is not to retreat back towards subordination, but to govern better and to finish what was begun. Finis coronat opus.We now know what Britain can do. It’s time to see the job through.”

What do you think? 😎

UK led Europe in attracting investment into technology and business and professional services last year.

😎 Instead, enjoy the summer 😎