A number of Labour politicians - Labour politicians - have been making the case for post Brexit austerity. They may not consciously intend to promote a continuation of austerity even under a Labour government. Their intention might be to harness an anti-austerity impulse to support for the single market. But their case repeats the logic of George Osborne: if tax revenues are down then the government must cut spending.
I thought that the old government-must-tighten-its-belt argument had been defeated, at least in the Labour party. It's back, however, promoted by some Labour politicians who have yet to break from the neo-liberal mindset. Naturally, support for the single market is not limited to neo-liberal thinking. The TUC, for example, makes a more convincing case based on jobs and employment rights.
I challenged the "Brexit means austerity" line in Labour List, Even after Brexit austerity will remain a choice
I fear however than some apparently pro-European campaigns serve another purpose, shifting policy in a less progressive direction.
