Former UK chancellor Rachel Reeves said in a Sunday Times article that Britain's future lies in the European Union and that Brexit has made the country poorer, weaker and less secure. She welcomed Prime Minister Andy Burnham's leadership on the issue ahead of a summit with the bloc next month.
Reeves, a former chancellor, is pressing for a youth mobility scheme and UK entry into the EU's SAFE defense funding scheme at the next UK-EU summit, both of which would change terms for UK-based defense companies and for people moving between Britain and the bloc.
Rachel Reeves, who left the Treasury as chancellor, used a Sunday Times article to argue that Britain's future lies in the European Union and that Brexit has made the country "poorer, weaker and less secure". It was her first major intervention since leaving office, and she said she welcomed debate about the UK's relationship with Europe.
In the article she wrote: "No-one in the Treasury ever doubted where my instincts were. I do believe Britain's future lies in the European Union." She said supporters of rejoining the EU had to "make the argument, demonstrate tangible benefits and to get the next steps right".
Reeves said she hoped a forthcoming UK-EU summit would confirm a youth mobility scheme she has pushed for since holding office, and show "progress towards entry" into the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme. SAFE was announced last March as part of an EU-wide rearmament effort after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and a defense pact agreed with the EU last May opened SAFE-funded projects to UK-based defense companies.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there needs to be an honest discussion about the future relationship, while saying any changes would require a mandate at a general election, which is next due by 2029. Labour's 2024 election manifesto said a Labour government would stay outside the EU and make Brexit work, ruling out a return of free movement, single market membership or a customs union.
The Conservatives said there is no desire to rerun the Brexit debate. Reform UK's Nigel Farage said there is no mandate to pursue closer EU ties. Reeves also defended her record in office, writing that governments needed to be "braver" in building large infrastructure projects and "clear eyed" about the risks and benefits AI would bring to advanced economies.
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