Alastair Campbell, "Andy Burnham has been telling the truth, that's for sure" "I don't think that anybody can say Brexit has been a success for the country" "It's done enormous damage to our economic interests, our trade interests, our soft power" "It's done a lot of damage and I think Andy Burnham is just opening the debate to say we now have to look at how best we fix this" "I do think there is an appetite and understanding that we've got to get closer to Europe" "Particularly at a time when China is so dominant and America is so unreliable" "Yes you can say you might have a far right government in France, the far right in Germany are doing very very well - I don't think that's an argument against Britain trying to reclaim influence over Europe" Paddy O'Connell, "There's only one man tonight who has invented a new word, what is Persevilience - the title of your book?" Alastair Campbell, "It is the capacity to turn any setback into a positive opportunity" My view: Alastair Campbell says Andy Burnham is telling the truth: nobody can seriously claim Brexit has been a success for Britain. It has damaged our economic and trade interests, weakened our soft power and left us with less influence at a time when China is increasingly dominant and America is increasingly unreliable. Getting closer to Europe doesn’t mean pretending every European government is perfect. It means recognising that Britain is stronger when it has a voice in shaping the continent’s future. And Campbell’s word for turning setbacks into opportunities? “Persevilience.” Brexit was a setback of our own making. The challenge now is to find the courage to fix the damage.