Brexit has had severe and long lasting' impact on economy, says Reeves, as she confirms budget tax rises UK politics live

"one problem facing the Conservatives today is that an essential condition for entry into the upper echelons of [the party] is being willing to at least pretend that you think taking Britain out of the EU was a good idea. As Bush memorably put it, this is a never-ending lobotomy for the Tories."

"Starmer and Reeves are expected to argue that, if it hadn't been for Brexit, this type of downgrade would not have been needed, and to cite official figures suggesting that if Britain had not left the European Union the economy would be about 120bn bigger by 2035 than current forecasts suggest it will be. The message is simple: [Nigel] Farage is ultimately to blame as the man who delivered Brexit with easy sloganeering then walked away from the aftermath rather than putting in the hard yards. Or, to put it another way: Farage, not us, is responsible for putting up your taxes."

Labour intends to attribute downgraded productivity forecasts and resulting future tax rises in part to Brexit. Labour plans to cite official estimates that the economy would be about £120bn larger by 2035 if Britain had remained in the EU. The strategic message will frame Nigel Farage as the figure who sold Brexit with simple slogans and then abandoned responsibility for its fallout, presenting him as responsible for higher taxes. Conservative internal politics continue to reward public fealty to Brexit, constraining honest debate. Senior ministers and shadow ministers have begun publicly linking Brexit to weak productivity.

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