CEO, Soho Comms. Ex Treasury head of comms and DExEU chief of staff. Former pol ed, now occasional columnist. Views my own. https://xitter.cf/t.co/B9es8CzCK9
Westminster
Joined July 2009
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James Chapman retweeted
⏰ For six years since Britain left the Single Market, I’ve been waiting for a Prime Minister prepared to explain why we may have to go back in.
Because of food security, energy security, investment, supply chains and national resilience.
You cannot build a serious food-security strategy while putting permanent barriers between Britain and its largest neighbouring food market.
You cannot talk about sovereignty while becoming more dependent on fragile global supply chains for food, fuel and fertiliser.
And you cannot repair Brexit properly while refusing even to discuss the obligations that come with deeper European integration.
At last we have a Prime Minister @andyburnham prepared to start giving the country some of the hard truths 👏
This conversation is long overdue.
James Chapman retweeted
Some are claiming that freedom of movement with the EU would mean hundreds of millions of Europeans wanting to come to Britain.
They didn’t do that before 2016.
The scale of the claim is absurd.
And more importantly, free movement never meant anyone could simply move here indefinitely without meeting any conditions.
After three months, people who weren’t working, studying or genuinely seeking work could lose their right to reside if they also lacked sufficient resources and health insurance.
David Cameron’s government chose not to enforce those rules.
Blaming free movement for that choice doesn’t make the scare stories true.
James Chapman retweeted
So true.
Here's an extraordinary comparison.
Economists estimated that Brexit was costing the Treasury at least £40 billion a year in lost tax revenue.
And how much did Rishi Sunak announce in tax increases in March 2022?
£46 billion.
Think about that. Britain lost £40 billion in annual tax revenue through Brexit, while the then Chancellor announced tax rises worth £46 billion.
That's almost the same amount.
We were promised Brexit would make Britain richer and free up money for public services.
Instead, we made ourselves poorer — and taxpayers were left facing the bill.
This was a direct result of leaving the single market.
The EU fee was about £12.6bn a year, whereas the estimated Brexit loss of output is now roughly £170bn–£230bn a year, with an associated loss of tax revenue of roughly £65bn–£85bn a year. That makes the fee equivalent to only about 5–7% of the estimated annual GDP loss. #BrexSHIT
James Chapman retweeted
The EU fee was about £12.6bn a year, whereas the estimated Brexit loss of output is now roughly £170bn–£230bn a year, with an associated loss of tax revenue of roughly £65bn–£85bn a year. That makes the fee equivalent to only about 5–7% of the estimated annual GDP loss. #BrexSHIT
James Chapman retweeted
I expect Reform’s poll collapse will now accelerate. Their entire strategy has been based on claiming they represented the only viable alternative to Labour. And it’s now imploded.
We have Tory-Reform crossover. Average of 6 polls from different companies, fieldwork 16-23 Oct
Lab 28.8%
Con 22.2%
Rfm 21.7%
Green 9.5%
Lib Dem 9.2%
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinio…
James Chapman retweeted
Free movement making the headlines again, and for once ! it's treated here (👏@thetimes) as a 𝒕𝒘𝒐-𝒘𝒂𝒚 street, giving a mention to the millions of us British citizens who over decades were able to live, study, work and retire freely all over our own continent rather than the usual "they're all coming here" angle
Maybe because Burnham's own father was part of the "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet" generation who went to Germany looking for work in the 80s
And for the "they're all coming here brigade" (they'll pop up in my feed 🤡) 2 things ...
Remind me how many millions of French and Spanish people have retired to sunny Clacton ?
Immigration was around 300K a year when the UK was in the EU. Your Brexit replaced mainly single young Europeans with people from much further away bringing their families, reaching 1M
Free movement has enriched so many British citizens' lives. Brexit slammed that door shut in our, and our children's faces
James Chapman retweeted
NEW headline voting intention from Ipsos
📊Labour on 32% with a lead of +8 – the largest Labour lead Ipsos have recorded this parliament
📊Conservatives take second place the first time since June 2025
📊Reform UK down 3 points and Greens down 5
James Chapman retweeted
As someone whose life and body have been transformed by cancer, I am delighted that @andyburnham went on Gogglebox to raise money to help fight cancer.
'Is that a really good use of his time?'
'Raising money for a cancer charity?'
The Green Party's @floschechter brands Andy Burnham going on Gogglebox as 'ridiculous'.
James Chapman retweeted
🔺 EXCLUSIVE: Andy Burnham has opened the door to Britain readopting the European Union’s free movement rules, arguing that an “honest discussion” is needed, reports @benrileysmith
James Chapman retweeted
🚨Latest Opinium @ObserverUK poll🚨
Labour continues to lead in the polls, 8 points ahead of Reform in second place.
🌹LAB 30% (+1)
➡️REF 22% (-2)
🌳CON 20% (n/c)
🌍GRN 10% (+1)
🔶LD 9% (n/c)
#Budget2026
James Chapman retweeted
In embracing Putin and abandoning Ukraine, Trump is way out of step with American society:
James Chapman retweeted
Burnham is a much more authentic "man of the people" than Farage could ever dream of...
James Chapman retweeted
Brexit has been catastrophic. It's time to rejoin the EU.
standard.co.uk/news/politics…
James Chapman retweeted
Ten years after the referendum, I'm still waiting for someone to explain why a British citizen being unable to take a job in Paris without immigration permission is an improvement.
Perhaps the Brexit benefits department is still working on the answer.
James Chapman retweeted
My summary - UK car industry has not thrived, will not thrive and cannot thrive outside the EU single market and customs union ukandeu.ac.uk/from-pace-sett…
James Chapman retweeted
Significant moment. Based on the latest aggregate of the polls, Labour is now on course for an overall majority.
James Chapman retweeted
That’s poignant because, as so often, Tony Blair was right & farsighted. David Cameron made a catastrophic decision born of purely party considerations; the nation has suffered the costs ever since.
James Chapman retweeted
Brexit was the greatest act of economic self-harm in our country’s history, leaving Londoners nearly £3,400 worse off on average.
I’ve written to the government calling for closer ties with Europe to help businesses grow, lower costs and improve living standards.
Rejoining the EU must remain our destination.
standard.co.uk/news/politics…