It’s time for Labour to focus forward

JOHN Hodgkins (letters, January 20) states that for Labour “the absolute priority has to be to put together a positive and believable Brexit vision”.

I’m afraid their hands are somewhat tied as they can’t renegotiate a treaty that is already signed.

As for re-joining the EU, Keir Starmer has clearly ruled that out and I don’t know when shadow Northern Ireland Minister Peter Kyle made the statement Mr Hodgkins quotes, inferring such, but in December 2021 Mr Kyle stated with regard to Brexit that he was now a ‘rebuilder, not a remainer’. People can change their minds when they accept reality.

Labour may not be able to negotiate a new treaty but they can make sure if they are elected that some things don’t happen. They won’t for example allow a trade deal with the US that will lower food standards and allow US private heath care companies even more access to the NHS.

They also won’t make laws that favour big business, Tory Party donors and weaken workers rights which is what ‘taking back control’ means to the Tories.

The only way to stop these things happening is to get behind Starmer and the Labour Party. During the pandemic if Labour had kept bringing up Brexit they would have been accused of playing politics and being unpatriotic during the worst crisis the country has faced since the World War II.

If anyone is a genuine Labour supporter they will get fully behind Keir Starmer and his party and get rid of our present awful Prime Minister and his awful Government, there is no other way.

A.W.GOSFORTH