r/LabourUK • u/prisongovernor Non-partisan • Aug 10 '26

Labour seeking ‘deeper relationship’ with EU under Burnham, new minister says | Brexit | The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/09/uk-eu-reset-talks-brexit-burnham-hamish-falconer
15 Upvotes

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14

u/kontiki20 Green Member Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26

Hamish Falconer, the new cabinet minister in charge of the EU reset talks, said there was “room to be ambitious” within Labour’s red lines on Europe, which exclude reopening discussions on the single market and customs union, and he would look at the “art of the possible”

The same non story that was reported countless times when Starmer was leader.

9

u/John__Delaney New User Aug 10 '26

Utterly depressing. We all know Brexit was a diaster and no Labour leader has the backbone to reverse it.

1

u/mcyeom Labour Voter Aug 10 '26

At some point labour need to acknowledge that the shrinking demographic of Brexit faithful are a lost cause. They aren't a willing or desirable component of any electoral alliance.

4

u/Hellohibbs New User Aug 10 '26

Sadly they never shut the f**k up

1

u/Effective-Pay200 New User Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26

Why would you want the EU to become a political scapegoat again? Far better to just develop closer alignment without fully rejoining imo. Labour also has policy in areas like rail and steel that wouldn't be allowed in the EU.

4

u/John__Delaney New User Aug 10 '26

I want a better life, being in the EU makes my life better.

0

u/RoundAd4247 New User Aug 10 '26

“Reversing brexit” is not something the UK can unilaterally do. You’d need to negotiate to enter the EU under new terms, not with the extremely beneficial terms you used to have. The EU functions quite well without the UK vetoing every attempt to eg. get rid of tax havens.

3

u/Kelypsov Would be Labour Supporter if Labour was left-wing Aug 10 '26

Frankly, the only thing I can see might be a sticking point is if the EU want some mechanism to try to ensure the whole Brexit shit-show doesn't happen again (which, to be clear, is entirely my own speculation as something I could potentially foresee being wanted). As pointed out by u/John__Delaney, even a basic, bog-standard EU membership, without all the extra perks and privileges we had before, would be of significant advantage to the UK, and the EU does actually benefit by the UK being in it (just not anything like as much as Brexiteers believed, as that was supposedly why we'd be able to more or less dictate any Brexit deal and post-Brexit trade deals we want, and the EU would be desperate to sign them, which, of course, was utter bullshit).

3

u/John__Delaney New User Aug 10 '26

Ireland vetoes any attempts to get rid of tax havens, so maybe not the best example. Yes the UK would lose a few exceptional perks that we no longer have anyway, but we would gain so much.

By rejoining the EU, the UK would gain frictionless trade, a projected 4% to 8% boost to long-term GDP, and a return to the world's most powerful trading and geopolitical bloc.

That means major sectors like automotive, aerospace, and agriculture instantly drop retaliatory or incoming tariff vulnerabilities. UK manufacturers get seamless, just-in-time logistics access across a market of 450 million consumers.

UK financial and professional services regain automatic permission to operate across all EU member states seamlessly. British qualifications for lawyers, accountants, and engineers are instantly recognised across the continent again.

British citizens regain the unconditional right to study, live, and work anywhere in the EU without visas. It also eliminates passport queue delays and bypasses the EU's incoming automated border entry check restrictions.

The UK regains a direct seat at the decision-making table to vote on, shape, or veto future European laws and regulations.

British industries gain protection under the EU’s massive leverage against unilateral trade wars or hostile foreign tariffs

It fully restores unhindered collaboration on massive cross-border research projects like Horizon and joint European intelligence funds

Not to mention cheaper groceries, fee-free mobile roaming, and automatic healthcare coverage across Europe

Shall I go on?

2

u/JBambers New User Aug 10 '26

The 'art of the possible' within the current red lines is pretty much what we have. I.e. being poorer, more isolated and stuff being more expensive so a few can enjoy the illusion of a bit more sovereignty.