Europe’s Lure for Labour

Ten years on from the UK’s vote for Brexit, and five years since the divorce was made official, the blow is still keenly felt by many who backed the losing side. Particularly in the governing Labour Party, many erstwhile Remainers continue to be tempted by the EU’s siren song—and see Andy Burnham’s ascension as their chance to put rejoining back on the table. 

After all, it was only last year that Burnham (then the mayor of Greater Manchester) said at a party conference, “I want to rejoin. I hope in my lifetime I see this country rejoin the European Union.” And it was only this past May that Wes Streeting (whom Burnham has just appointed as defense secretary) declared that “Britain's future lies with Europe—and one day, ‌back in the European Union.”

For now, it seems that Burnham will continue with Starmer’s approach to Europe: “resetting” relations to slowly bring Britain closer to Brussels, but without joining any EU institutions like the Single Market or Customs Union, and without signing up for “freedom of movement” (that most toxic of all EU policies). But had Burnham not entered Downing Street unchallenged—and had there been a full Labour leadership contest—there is little doubt that reversing Brexit would have been near the top of the agenda. 

This may appear to make little sense. Voters, whether they backed Leave or Remain, are now overwhelmingly in favour of putting the Brexit years behind. For almost a decade, British politics was consumed by the Europe question. Revisiting that debate, and reopening the deep wounds it left, seems almost guaranteed to derail any sitting government. 

Even if the pro-EU side prevailed, the process of rejoining would likely resemble that of leaving, dominating the parliamentary timetable and squeezing out other priorities. The negotiations could grind on for years. And at the end, chances are good the UK would end up with a worse deal than the one it had before we left. On top of that, the government would sign away sovereignty and control over critical areas, from immigration and trade to social policy and the environment (although, as we’ll come to later, the cynics in Labour might see this as a positive).