The failure of the left to grasp Brexit

The Labour party was eventually persuaded to back a second referendum. This was a historic mistake which led to defeat in the General Election, says Michael Wilkinson (LSE). Labour should have respected the vote to Leave and offered a platform for change based on a future outside of the European Union. Thursday’s General Election was a bad day for the Labour party. It spelled the end of Remainism and signalled a historic defeat for the left. There needs to be serious reflection on all of this because the repercussions are severe and wide-ranging, and broader lessons must be learned, not just for the UK but elsewhere. It turned out, contrary to much expert assessment, that the 2016 referendum was, in fact, binding. The left failed to grasp this, and the underlying disconnect it signified.