Win the times by ignoring anything to do with Brexit by John Kato

For the past few years, British politics has felt like being trapped in a never-ending Brexit purgatory. Leaders have risen and fallen, parties have split, and the economy has staggered from one self-inflicted wound to another all under the suffocating shadow of that single, divisive word: Brexit. And then, like a man who’s just seen the ghost of political strategy past, Sir Keir Starmer comes along, doing the most revolutionary thing in British politics since David Cameron’s unfortunate gamble, he’s saying nothing, doing little.

Now, it takes a certain kind of genius to say nothing and make it work. Or perhaps it’s just good, old-fashioned common sense, a rarity among Westminster’s political elite lately. The Tories have made an art form out of waving the Brexit flag while conveniently ignoring its consequences. Meanwhile, the Lib Dems have screamed into the void about rejoining the EU, blissfully unaware that public sentiment has moved on to more immediate concerns, like paying rent and affording groceries.

But Starmer? He’s playing the long game, and it might just be working. He’s not charging into Brexit debates with the zeal of a missionary or the arrogance of a man convinced he’s right. Instead, he’s focused on something radical: fixing the country’s actual problems. Who would’ve thought that addressing people’s day-to-day struggles could be more effective than dragging them back to the political trenches of 2016?

The truth is, the British public is weary. Weary of the arguments, the promises, and the endless insistence that leaving the EU was either the greatest liberation or the worst betrayal. It’s become a political bogeyman that every leader since Cameron has either cowered from or wielded like a cudgel. Starmer has wisely chosen neither. He’s simply moving forward, a step that’s taken almost a decade to make.

By focusing on the economy, Starmer is avoiding the fatal mistake that all his predecessors made, defining their political identity through Brexit. Instead, he’s bringing Labour back to where it once belonged: on the ground, listening to the ordinary people and addressing their struggles. His recent speeches have been almost completely devoid of Brexit rhetoric. Instead, they’re crammed full of promises to rebuild, reinvest, and restore.

If the Conservatives’ strategy has been to shout “Brexit!” at every perceived slight from Brussels, Labour’s new tactic is to quietly sweep up the economic rubble that strategy has left behind. It’s a tactic of political aikido—using the opponent’s energy against them without even looking like you’re engaging in a fight.

And it’s smart. People are exhausted. They don’t want to talk about trading agreements or customs borders. They want cheaper food, reliable healthcare, and trains that run on time. They want to hear about jobs and education, not sovereignty and red tape. In quietly shifting the focus from Brexit to practical policy, Starmer is positioning himself as the man who can end the chaos and, more crucially, the endless debate.

Labour has been nursing a chronic trust deficit ever since Tony Blair took the party to new heights before spectacularly crash-landing in the quagmire of Iraq. Since then, the leadership has swung between the centrism of Brown, the idealism of Miliband, and the radicalism of Corbyn all while haemorrhaging credibility. Starmer, however, is reviving Labour’s image with something almost quaint: pragmatism.

He’s neither pandering to Corbynistas nor trying to revive the New Labour glitz. Instead, he’s presenting himself as a calm, competent, and slightly boring leader. And in the current landscape, boring is exactly what Britain needs. After a carnival of chaos that’s seen prime ministers come and go faster than new Netflix releases, the country craves stability. And what’s more stable than a lawyer with a meticulous, forensic approach to problem-solving?

By avoiding the Brexit minefield, Starmer is gradually restoring the trust that Labour has been haemorrhaging for years. He’s shifting the narrative from ideology to practicality, from division to rebuilding. Instead of promising to undo the past, he’s focusing on patching up the present and that’s something that resonates with a population tired of endless division.

Starmer understands that, politically speaking, Brexit is a minefield best left untouched for now. With the Tories still beating their chests about taking back control, and other parties howling for a rejoin campaign, Labour is sidestepping the melee altogether. The cost-of-living crisis, NHS meltdown, and stagnant wages offer plenty of fertile ground for Labour to sow solutions without once uttering the "B" word.

Some will call it cowardice. Others will accuse him of dodging responsibility. But in truth, Starmer’s strategy is almost absurdly brilliant in its simplicity. He’s recognizing that Brexit, for better or worse, is done and the only way forward is to focus on recovery.

The irony here is almost poetic. The party once torn apart by internal squabbling over Brexit is now finding itself at peace simply by refusing to mention it. Meanwhile, the Conservatives are still playing the greatest hits of 2016, ignoring that the audience has moved on. It’s like an aging rock band, convinced that playing the same tired anthem will somehow rekindle their lost glory.

Whether Starmer’s strategy will carry him to Downing Street remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: he’s managed to master the rare art of political patience. By staying quiet on Brexit and loudly pragmatic on the economy, he’s painting a picture of Labour as the party of restoration rather than revolution.

And while the Tory brass is busy infighting and trying to make Brexit happen all over again, Starmer’s silence on the matter is deafening. It’s the sound of political sense returning to Britain after a long, dark night. Starmer’s bet is that by simply doing the work, Labour can regain its soul.

Perhaps the lesson here is simple: when the whole room is screaming about the past, sometimes the wisest move is to whisper about the future.