Holy moly. Just when you thought the Brexit drama was finally behind us, some politician decides to stir the pot again. I was literally making a cuppa when my phone buzzed with this news yesterday, and I nearly spilled tea all over my keyboard.

Labour trade minister Douglas Alexander (remember him?) has gone and done it now - launching into what can only be described as an anti-Brexit rant right in the middle of Parliament. Not exactly subtle, mate.

What Actually Happened?

Alexander stood there with a straight face and called Brexit "devastating" to our economy. Not just bad. Not problematic. DEVASTATING. The kind of word you use when describing natural disasters, not political decisions that literally millions of people voted for.

But wait - it gets better.

He went on to dismiss previous global trade efforts as some kind of "post-imperial delusion" - a fancy way of saying we got too big for our boots after the Empire fell. His exact words: "We're pursuing trade based on data, not post-imperial delusion. It's devastating, the damage done by the way Brexit was implemented."

Number 10's Awkward Response...

When reporters asked Downing Street about Alexander's comments, teh response was noticeably cooler. They described the previous Tory Brexit deal as "botched" but stopped well short of calling it "devastating." Talk about throwing your minister under the bus (while trying not to look like you're doing it).

I've covered politics since 2014, and this kind of messaging disconnect usually means someone's getting a stern talking-to behind closed doors. Poor Douglas. I'd hate to be checking my work email right now if I were him.

The Tories Are Absolutely Loving This

Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel couldn't have asked for a better gift. She immediately pounced, claiming "Labour's Brexit mask has slipped" and that we can now see their "true intentions."

Dramatic? Sure. But effective.

She went further, calling Alexander's comments "anti-British sneering" and "a total slap in the face of the democratic will of this country, as well as the 17.4 million people that voted to regain this country's sovereignty."

And then the classic finishing move: "It is the same old Labour."

What's REALLY Going On Here?

Listen. I've got £50 that says this wasn't just some random outburst. Alexander's comments signal something bigger - a potential shift toward prioritizing closer ties with Brussels. My editor disagrees, thinks it's just poor messaging discipline, but I'm not convinced.

The timing is suspicious.

With EU trade negotiations coming up later this year, Alexander might be laying groundwork for a softer approach. Or maybe he just forgot the camera was rolling... wouldn't be the first time a minister spoke too freely in Parliament.

The Brexit Wounds Never Healed

Eight years after the referendum and we're still fighting about this. God.

I spent an entire weekend in 2016 watching referendum results come in with friends who ended up not speaking to each other for months afterward. And now here we are, still picking at the scabs.

What Alexander and others seem to forget is that for many voters, Brexit wasn't just about economics. It was about identity, sovereignty, and feeling heard. Dismissing it as delusion isn't just politically unwise - it's guaranteed to reopen those divisions.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The question now is whether Alexander was testing waters for a policy shift or simply went off-script. My money's on the former.

Labour has always had a complicated relationship with Brexit. Many of their MPs campaigned against it while representing constituencies that voted heavily for it. Talk about awkward family dinners.

What's certain is that both sides will use this incident to fuel their narratives. Brexiteers will claim vindication that Labour always planned to undermine Brexit. Remainers will quietly cheer that someone's finally speaking "truth to power."

And the rest of us? We'll just sigh and wonder if we're doomed to debate Brexit until the end of time.

...or at least until the next political scandal gives us something new to argue about.