I struggle to understand why Starmer feels the need to be so hard on this point at this time. Did he seriously believe he hadn't said enough already?
Does he believe the ammunition of 'Labour will rejoin the SM/CU' is so potent that it will damage his election?
I feel I'm missing something.
It seems like bad politics at the very least. Polling shows there is no enthusiasm for Labour - everyone just wants the Tories gone and Starmer is the best vehicle. Post-election he *really* needs to build a coalition to keep going. Alienating allies will damage his project.