No debate of Brexit makes it 'most dishonest' election

Michael Heseltine has warned that the 2024 general election campaign “will be the most dishonest in modern times” because of the refusal of the main parties to debate the consequences of Brexit.

- DAVID MADDOX

The former deputy prime minister, who fell out with the Conservatives over leaving the European Union, has written exclusively for The Independent explaining how the big issues in this general election – the economy, immigration and defence – all need to be debated in the context of the UK’s relationship with the EU. But he claimed that Labour and the Tories are too scared to discuss Brexit because of the potential impact on their voter bases.

It comes as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer uses his first keynote speech of the election to focus the campaign on himself in a presidential-style push for victory. But noting that Sir Keir and Rishi Sunak are avoiding discussing “the elephant in the room”, Lord Heseltine wrote: “Both major parties are afraid of losing votes to the hard right. Labour needs to rebuild its red wall while the Conservatives run scared of Reform.”

However, he argued that almost no major issue can be discussed without reference to the subject which has, in effect, dominated British politics since the EU referendum in 2016 and arguably since the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 which shattered John Major’s government.

Lord Heseltine’s case is supported by exclusive polling for The Independent by Redfield &Wilton which reveals that British voters link Brexit to two of the biggest problems in the country – the cost of living and immigration.