Andy Burnham’s Brexit promises distract from looming crises
Andy Burnham’s Brexit promises risk distracting the government from an approaching winter food and fuel crisis, reports BritPanorama.
On Monday, 12 October, the Prime Minister vowed to push for a Brexit reset at a UK-EU summit in Brussels next month, shortly after an exclusive revealed that a 10-year plan for re-entry to the EU is being proposed to him.
He stated in the Commons that it would be a “dereliction of duty” for Britain to turn its back on the EU. Nearly three-quarters of Labour voters express a desire for renegotiations in the next manifesto.
As temperatures begin to fall, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has urged households to start stockpiling. However, hosts of the In The Room podcast, Helen MacNamara and Cleo Watson, question whether Brexit stands as the most pressing issue facing the government.
Helen highlighted an immediacy problem, stating, “The day on which anybody in this country will actually feel any economic benefit from changing the EU deal is, at best, literally years away.” She continued, “There are some really, really tough decisions coming up this winter. Distracting a bunch of people in Whitehall, thinking ‘if only this was all different’, is not the right call.”
These challenges include Britain’s increasing reliance on imported diesel, the potential impacts of an approaching El Niño weather event, ongoing global conflicts, and the aftermath of a particularly poor UK cereal and oilseed harvest.
The first alarms regarding food supplies were raised by FarmingUK in March, following the first US air strikes on Iran. Concerns have escalated since then; on 5 October, a letter signed by over 150 experts warned that Britain has “no plan” to ensure food security in emergencies.
Cleo noted that farmers are “really worried” about the impact of global conflict on diesel supplies necessary for agricultural equipment. Yet, the consequences of Britain’s record-breaking summer heat have left farms more vulnerable heading into winter.
“The grass they cut and dried for their livestock for the winter, they’ve had to use over the summer because it was so dry,” she explained. “Lots of them have already used up a good deal of their winter feed.”
She added, “There’s a really critical moment coming up this winter when they potentially run out of forage for the animals, and it doesn’t feel like the adequate attention is being paid.”
Cleo likened the government’s approach to the early-release scheme for prisoners, suggesting that problems are only addressed when they reach a critical point. “Until it’s front and centre, it’s not a priority for government,” she said.
Helen also pointed out a recurring issue with Burnham’s governance approach. “He’s trying to manifest things that are going to happen in the far-off future,” she noted.
As discussions about Brexit continue, the pressure mounts on the government to focus on immediate challenges that could have significant implications for food security and public welfare this winter.
