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Move to rejoin EU among options for UK, says Burnham (www.bbc.co.uk)
submitted 2 weeks ago by CharlesDarwin1809@piefed.world to c/uk_politics@feddit.uk
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"We could stay as we are. That's definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay," he told [BBC Radio 4's Today programme].

"We could look at what [former Chancellor] George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market, or we could go all the way."

If you watch the video in the article, he also said this:

Brexit has caused more harm than good, and I think around 60% of the British public agree with that statement.

Do you like these statements from Burnham or not? I think these statements are good.

I don't see the point in cutting ties with our European allies, causing harm to our economy, just so we can wave little Union Jacks and pretend that we're so much better than other European countries.

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[-] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I'd rather if we joined in such a way that we forgot that brexit even happened. I believe we are still able to join without adopting the Euro due to the agreement on that didn't account for if countries were to leave (iirc it was worded in a way that it referred to signatories not having to adopt the euro as opposed to members having to remain members)

It would be so funny to see farage's reaction if we rejoined the EU

[-] realitista@lemmus.org 8 points 2 weeks ago

Theatrics and pundits feeding the drama aside, my bet is that if the UK came back hat in hand and really made a go of it, that the EU would probably do this.

[-] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 2 points 2 weeks ago

It was one of the biggest economies in the EU. I think they do want us. We're still in the top ten. If anything we could possibly come back with more sovereignty, because the EU wouldn't want us to leave again.

[-] realitista@lemmus.org 3 points 2 weeks ago

Well I wouldn't get too carried away, getting back in itself would be a win. I think it would be tough for them to give better conditions because it would give incentive for other countries to try it as a bargaining tactic. Do keep in mind that the EU is doing fine without the UK too.

[-] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

True

[-] Jacob_Mandarin@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

But i think you are right. In a Vacuum the EU would probably be quite happy to just restore the previous agreements. From a utilitarian perspective it might even be worth it to sweeten the deal. But emotionally there would definitely be opposition to it and it just sets too bad a precedent.

But there are also a lot of benefits to the EU on the Table here. So if the UK genuinely and sincerely wanted to reenter permanently. I am sure Brussels would find a way to get it done.

[-] FishFace@piefed.social 3 points 2 weeks ago

I think it's good to open the conversation. It seems like people are less rabid about it now so raising it isn't political suicide.

I don't know if a full rejoin now - 10 years after the vote and 6 after actually doing it - is the smart move. We left the EU far too lightly, due to temporary political circumstances that never created a robust consensus. But that doesn't mean we should rejoin just as lightly - we are where we are now, and even if it's painful it's important to learn from those mistakes. That might mean accepting a half-way house without full single market membership for a while.

[-] LazyOldPervert@lemmus.org 3 points 2 weeks ago

Your thesis is stay where you are because the pain will help brits learn?

[-] FishFace@piefed.social 2 points 2 weeks ago

More like: if you rejoin quickly it gives people the impression that leaving and rejoining is something that's not a big deal. But it is, or should be, a big deal. It's not so much about pain as about showing to Brits and non-Brits that if you leave, you can't come back immediately if you don't like it.

That's from the EU's POV. From the British POV, it's about improving the democratic process by doing constitutional change right, and showing that it's being done right. "Brexit was a mess, here's how to make a big decision that isn't a mess." That means enough time to understand the decision, as well as a debate in which the media doesn't just regurgitate disinformation.

[-] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 weeks ago

Why does the UK think they can just come and go whenever they want?

[-] FishFace@piefed.social 3 points 2 weeks ago

What do you call a garden implement that you can't use to prune?

A non-secateur!

[-] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 weeks ago

then you'd better stop being more transphobic than orban's hungary, uk.

[-] Trigger2_2000@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

Brexit: About Face, march! /s

[-] deHaga@feddit.uk -3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Nah, stay out. The single market is protectionist and stagnant. The UK is decentralising power, the EU is going in the opposite direction.

The real benefit to being out of the EU is having control of our agriculture policy. The CAP is an environmental cluster fuck.

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/03/26/england-has-shown-the-world-how-to-replace-farm-subsidies

[-] sunbeam60@feddit.uk 10 points 2 weeks ago
[-] deHaga@feddit.uk -2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Me select? You're comparing 1 country versus the average of 26 lol.

Your other graph is a synthetic counter factual made from bullshit doppelganger models and surveys.

France is our doppelganger. They didn't leave the EU, we did.

All that happened is we swapped dirty polluting goods trade for high margin clean services exports

[-] sunbeam60@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

If you believe France is a useful single doppelgänger you honestly need to read a bit more.

Before 2016 the UK was more open and more finance-heavy (about 7% of output vs 4%), it ran a current-account deficit of about 5% of GDP (France was near balance), and its labour market was more flexible (about 74% employment vs 64%).

France was also in the euro, more state-cushioned (public spending about 57% of GDP vs 40%) and more EU-oriented in its trade.

On almost every channel Brexit worked through (sterling, investment, services trade, migration), France would have responded differently.

I think you’re picking data to suit your opinions. And you’re diverging from the vast majority of economists when attempting to compare the counter-factual case. That alone should give you pause.

[-] deHaga@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

It's the most similar economy and didn't leave the EU. It's a better proxy than sticking bits of New Zealand's and America's economy into a doppelganger model.

[-] sunbeam60@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Ok, that’s a fine opinion. Just know that it contradicts what 99.999% of all economists would say. But what do they know, eh? I think people have had enough of experts!

[-] deHaga@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

They are using synthetic counter factuals. There is no control. There is no precedent to leaving the EU.

There is no guarantee that the UK would have not still had major disruption from a narrow remain vote

0.29% of UK companies stopped exporting to the EU. Big deal.

[-] sunbeam60@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

I have zero idea where you get these numbers from.

https://www.lse.ac.uk/news/latest-news-from-lse/l-december-2024/brexit-reduced-goods-exports-by-27bn

https://www.cityam.com/brexit-onslaught-deepens-as-a-third-of-all-uk-firms-exporting-to-eu-simply-vanish-due-to-red-tape-knockout/

Somewhere between 15%-30% of all exporters to the EU stopped after Brexit.

But this is a waste of your time - I can sense that data isn’t really going to convince.

At least you can enjoy those bendy bananas.

[-] deHaga@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

There are something like 5m UK businesses. A tiny fraction of them actually exported to the EU. And 15-30% of that sub fraction stopped exporting.

Meanwhile UK services exports has increased by over 75% since 2016

We just swapped high carbon polluting goods trade for high margin low carbon services

Just in time for carbon border taxes.

Net win.

this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2026
60 points (98.4% liked)

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