Britain’s political debate is lacking bold, radical policies. This is your moment, Lib Dems | Max von Thun

The closer the country gets to an election, the more eager the party has been to abandon the progressive measures it was previously committed to, from raising taxes for the wealthy and tech giants, to investing heavily in green infrastructure and abolishing the Conservatives’ .

And despite the growing backlash against Brexit and the huge damage it has caused, Starmer – who once campaigned for a second referendum in Jeremy Corbyn’s cabinet – now refuses to consider rejoining the single market and customs union.

While the public (and the EU for that matter) may not be ready to reopen the thorny question of membership, mounting regret for the Brexit vote suggests that voters would respond positively to much deeper economic alignment – something that Labour’s opposition to rejoining the single market and customs union makes practically impossible.

With both Labour and the Tories unwilling to take on these entrenched elites, the mantle falls on the Lib Dems, whose liberal philosophy – ultimately rooted in empowering individuals in the face of concentrated power – is well suited to the task.

The Joe Biden administration – which has combined sweeping public investment in green technologies with proposed taxes of the super-wealthy and measures to rein in corporate monopolies – provides a template.

But they would draw on a long liberal tradition of taking on established interests, from levying taxes on wealthy landowners to fund the creation of the modern welfare state, to opposing the Iraq war and leading calls to break up the tech giants.