Key facts
- Tony Blair has called for Britain to work towards rejoining the EU within the next decade.
- The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) paper suggests accepting free movement and making a financial contribution as conditions for re-entry.
- TBI advocates for the UK to replace current red lines with a promise to adopt rules beneficial to the UK.
- Labour's Andy Burnham has stated he does not wish to pursue EU membership in the near term.
- A YouGov poll indicated that a pledge to seek EU membership could boost Labour's seat count.
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has advocated for Britain to begin working towards rejoining the European Union within the next decade, a stance that could reignite divisions over Brexit. In a paper titled 'A Path to Rejoining a Reformed Europe,' the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) proposes that the UK should signal an intention to enter a structured relationship with the EU, provided the terms are favorable. This would involve accepting free movement of people and making a financial contribution to the bloc.
Blair's intervention puts pressure on Labour leader Andy Burnham, who has expressed a personal hope to see the UK rejoin the EU in his lifetime but has stated that membership is not a near-term priority. Burnham has indicated that discussions about rejoining will be deferred to a later date, rather than being included in the next general election manifesto.
The TBI paper suggests that Britain could use the prospect of re-entry as leverage to encourage market reforms within the EU, making it more economically liberal and reforming regulations in areas like energy and technology. It argues that the UK should abandon its current 'red lines' on rejoining, free movement, and the single market, instead focusing on adopting rules that offer economic or strategic benefits.
Some within the Labour party, like Lisa Nandy, have cautioned against reopening the Brexit debate, fearing it could alienate voters, particularly in areas where the Reform UK party has gained traction. However, a recent YouGov poll commissioned by the pro-EU group Best for Britain suggests that a pledge to seek EU membership could electorally benefit Labour, potentially increasing its seat count significantly by uniting progressive voters without boosting Reform UK's support.