Britain should ‘rejoin EU within a decade’, says report by Tony Blair think tank
Britain should commit to rejoining the European Union within a decade, according to the think tank chaired by Sir Tony Blair, as the former Labour prime minister said the country needed a “new approach” to post-Brexit relations.
Sir Tony, who left office in 2007, said Andy Burnham’s Government should be clear it wants to enter into a “structured formal relationship” where “everything is on the table”.
Sir Tony said the EU inviting Canada to become its first associate member showed a “newfound flexibility” in relations between the EU and non-member states.
However, the former Labour leader said it would be wrong to return to a straight membership of the single market and customs union. In a slight to the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer, he also cautioned towards an “inching towards” Europe as a result of public opinion.
The report said Britain rejoining a “significantly reformed” EU, along with reforms inside the bloc, could see Europe as a superpower that could challenge the US and China.
It said: “Britain should play a leading role in shaping a more powerful Europe. The necessary reforms have already been identified – not least in Mario Draghi’s report on EU competitiveness – but implementing them remains the challenge.
“For Britain to be part of that effort, it must show political commitment to Europe. This can be achieved by setting a clear, public objective to rejoin the EU within a decade – subject to internal EU reform.
“This objective should be a cornerstone of the UK government’s upcoming 10-year plan.”
In the foreword to the report entitled “Beyond Leave and Remain: A Path to Rejoining a Reformed Europe”, Sir Tony said: “The red lines which we drew in 2016 are not the same as 2026.
“We need a new approach which makes sense of the world as it has changed in this decade, and which treats our future relationship in Europe not as a question about whether Britain ‘reverses’ Brexit but about whether we can secure a modern relationship with Europe which is in our national interest today.”
He added: “There is no point in inching towards Europe as we feel what British public opinion might accommodate. We should be clear that we want back into a formal relationship with the EU. But it must be a Europe on a credible path to reform, a Europe of nation states, a Europe capable of being a genuine global power.
“Otherwise, though Britain should continue to co-operate with the EU where it is in our mutual interest to do so, and though we should always remain open to changing circumstances, Britain will show that it can and is prepared to remain independent.”
The Conservatives warned the Government against “trying to turn back the clock”, while the Liberal Democrats welcomed the report.
Tory shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood said: “Andy Burnham has left the door open to rejoining the EU and now Tony Blair is piling the pressure on him to drag us back into the bloc.
“Labour should stop trying to turn back the clock and instead focus on setting out serious proposals for the future.”
Lib Dem Europe spokesman Al Pinkerton said: “Liberal Democrats have been clear that we must build a new partnership with the EU that reflects the economic and security challenges that we now face together. It’s a relief to hear others following our lead on this.
“That means Andy Burnham dropping Labour’s anti-growth red lines on the single market and customs union and negotiating a new growth and defence partnership with Europe.
“Such a partnership would tear down barriers for British businesses, strengthen our collective security and deliver the growth Britain needs to cut taxes, invest in public services and rebuild our defences.”
Polling by Best for Britain suggested Labour would get closest to forming a majority government at the next general election by adopting a manifesto commitment to rejoining the EU.
A pledge to reverse Brexit was the only scenario tested that would stop a Reform UK-led government, according to the poll, which asked 13,400 adults.
Making a commitment to EU membership could secure Labour 321 seats, according to the findings.
On Thursday, a new report by the IPPR found UK goods exports to the EU would have been up to £6.5 billion a year from 2021 to 2024 if Britain had got a mutual-recognition agreement in place.
Currently, some products undergo additional testing and certification before they can be sold in EU markets.
Sir Tony also repeated that Labour should change its policies on tech and wider welfare reform.
The report recommends the establishment of a new UK-EU industrial council, and rejoining the EU’s SAFE defence fund.
Meanwhile, it says London and Brussels should work together on AI, cyber-resilience, defence and energy. It says the North Sea should be developed as a “strategic energy basin” and Europe’s nuclear ecosystem should be “rebuilt”.
It said: “The politics that shaped the Brexit debate belong to a different strategic era. Today’s geopolitical reality demands a different approach: one focused not on institutional questions alone, but on how Europe builds the collective capability needed to compete and act strategically.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub