Rachel Reeves says Britain's future lies inside the EU and Brexit left it poorer and weaker
Former UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said Britain's future should be inside the European Union, arguing that Brexit has left the country "poorer, weaker and less secure". It is her first major intervention since leaving the Treasury and comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham says the UK needs an honest discussion about its future relationship with Europe.
"No-one in the Treasury ever doubted where my instincts were. I do believe Britain's future lies in the European Union," Reeves wrote in The Sunday Times. She said supporters of rejoining had to "make the argument, demonstrate tangible benefits and to get the next steps right". At the forthcoming UK-EU summit she hopes to see confirmation of a youth mobility scheme she pushed for while in office, and "progress towards entry" into SAFE, the EU's defence investment scheme set up to rearm Europe after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Labour's 2024 election manifesto promised to keep the UK outside the EU and ruled out a return to free movement, the single market or a customs union. Burnham has said any change would need a mandate at a general election, which is due by 2029. The Conservatives say there is no desire to rerun the Brexit debate, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says there is no mandate for closer ties with Brussels.
In the same piece, Reeves defended her record at the Treasury and urged governments to be "braver" in building big infrastructure projects and "clear eyed" about the risks and benefits that AI will bring to advanced economies.