Cosying up to the EU would do Britain more harm than good

If anyone thought our relations with the EU since the Brexit referendum would be a respectful dialogue of equals, they were quickly disabused. Relations remain, to use an understatement, strained. Three national opposition parties have all chosen to weaponise this unpleasantness, and call for re-engagement with at least some EU institutions. Before you follow them and cast an anti-Sunak vote two weeks on Thursday, you could do worse than read their manifestos.

If you like the look of the Greens’ ‘real hope, real change’ motto, do note that they openly want the UK back in the EU as soon as possible. Meanwhile they would sign up immediately again to the customs union and to free movement of people. Odd perhaps for a party generally opposed to competitive enterprise and supportive of fairly reckless state spending, not to mention advocating a ban on investment companies doing business in the UK which invest in any fossil fuels (illegal under EU law for EU companies): but let that pass.