Keir Starmer campaigned against Brexit and lost. Will ‘Bregretful’ voters now reward him?

Hopes and fears abound that the Tory’s bungled EU exit will gift Labour a ‘loser’s premium’ at the ballot box, writes Andrew Grice

Starmer’s pledge to make Brexit work frustrates many in Labour’s pro-Remain membership but is in tune with public opinion (PA)

Are the tables turning on Brexit? Although the Conservatives still take pride in being the “Brexit party”, some Tory and Labour figures are starting to wonder whether the government has made such a hash of implementing it that there could be a “loser’s premium” for those who opposed it in the 2016 referendum. This might even boost the prospects of Labour and the Liberal Democrats at next year’s general election.

When Boris Johnson was prime minister, many Tories were confident there would be mileage in Brexit at the next election. They saw the issue as Keir Starmer’s achilles heel, as he was the architect of Labour’s 2019 election pledge to call a second referendum. We can hardly blame the Tories for wanting to replay their greatest hits; Johnson’s brilliant “get Brexit done” slogan appealed both to angry Leavers and fed up Remainers.

But the public has moved on, and no wonder. It's increasingly hard for ministers to deny that Brexit has harmed the economy – as predicted, there will be a 4 per cent hit to GDP while imports and exports will be 15 per cent lower.