When it comes to columnists who lean towards Remain, few are more vocal in their criticism of Brexit than Times columnist Jenni Russell. So, when Russell has to step in to warn arch-Remainer Alastair Campbell that he has gone too far, you know something has gone seriously wrong.
This was the case on Newsnight on Friday evening. Russell used her appearance on the Brexit panel to explain why she had now gone cold on the idea of a second referendum: there has not been a big shift in public opinion and a no deal Brexit could win:
‘The point is that absolutely no effort so far has gone into saying to people anything other than ‘you are mistaken, your lives are rubbish and they are going to be even worse if we leave. When I talk to people who voted leave they talk in completely different terms. They talk about sovereignty, about community, about independence.’
However, Campbell was not willing to accept this criticism of Remain efforts and interrupted Russell to say: ‘You’re talking nonsense.
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