Reeves Says Britain's Future Lies Inside the EU
In her first major intervention since leaving the Treasury, Rachel Reeves said Brexit left Britain poorer and less secure. Prime Minister Andy Burnham says any change would need a mandate.
Rachel Reeves, until recently Chancellor, has put her name to the idea that Britain belongs inside the European Union. Her view cuts against what Labour's last manifesto promised, and it lands ahead of a UK-EU summit.
A government open to talking, with limits
Labour's 2024 manifesto promised to keep Britain outside the EU and to make Brexit work. It ruled out free movement, single market membership and a customs union.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham now says there needs to be an honest discussion about the future relationship. Any change, he says, would need voters' backing in a general election, and the next one is due by 2029.
Reeves in the Sunday Times
Her article is her first major intervention since she left the Treasury. In it she wrote that nobody there ever doubted where her instincts lay, and that she believes Britain's future lies in the EU. Brexit, she said, has left the country "poorer, weaker and less secure".
She told supporters of rejoining that they must make the argument, show tangible benefits and get the next steps right. She also said she welcomed debate about the relationship with Europe.
The piece doubled as a defence of her record. She argued that governments need to be braver about big infrastructure projects and clear-eyed about the risks and benefits of AI.
What she hopes Brussels delivers
The next UK-EU summit is in Brussels on 20 November. Reeves said she hopes it confirms the youth mobility scheme she pushed while in office. She also hopes for progress towards entry into the Security Action for Europe scheme, known as SAFE.
The EU announced SAFE last March to help its members rebuild their armed forces after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A defence pact agreed with the EU last May opened the way for UK-based defence firms to join projects it funds.
Reaction from the opposition benches
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says there is no mandate for closer ties. The Conservatives say nobody wants to fight the Brexit battle again.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that she "can't even believe we are reopening" the debate. She called it another Westminster bubble argument and said she did not want to indulge Burnham's ideas about redoing the referendum. At Prime Minister's Questions, Burnham told her he is focused on getting a better deal for Britain.
Our View
Reeves has left the Treasury, so her article does not set government policy. It shows that the argument over EU ties now runs inside Labour's top ranks as well as between the parties. What matters next is what Burnham says before the Brussels summit, and whether the youth mobility scheme and the SAFE talks move forward there.
Source: BBC News