Why are so few politicians talking about Brexit?

Labour has chosen to avoid a fight with Tories about Brexit. It’s done, says the party, and it’s pragmatic to accept that. Labour is against re-joining the European Union, the single market or the customs union.

Tories want to “seize the benefits of Brexit” by signing further trade deals, speeding up infrastructure and “unblocking 100,000 homes, cutting red tape for business, and creating new fishing opportunities”.

They want to repeal or reform EU regulations on the statute book. Having given up on a plan to repeal them all at once, they want the process to be half-way completed within two years.

They talk of the freedom to vary VAT rates, which is not allowed inside the EU. This would lead to lower rates for beer served in pubs and low-carbon home improvements.

Apart from being less interested in trade deals beyond the EU, Sir Keir Starmer’s party wants similar outcomes; to boost growth with fewer planning obstacles. However, it doesn’t see Brexit as the key to getting them.

It wants to negotiate better trading arrangements, removing barriers, form-filling, cost and delays. These could affect trade in food, with an agreement on veterinary checks on meat.

That, however, gets trickier if the UK is opening up to new markets through new trade deals being struck elsewhere.