French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday welcomed the possibility of Britain returning to the European Union if it decided to rejoin the bloc, as Brexit returned to the British political debate, with various options being proposed for the future of relations between London and its European partners, including the possibility of restoring membership.
Macron welcomes Britain’s return to the Union
Macron said at a joint news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Madrid that Britain’s return to the European Union “would be excellent news and a good decision”. Sánchez backed the French president’s position on welcoming the United Kingdom if it chose to rejoin.
Macron stressed that London could not choose some of the freedoms offered by the European Union while remaining outside its membership framework and the obligations associated with it. He said: “We can see the limits of what Britain can do when it wants to re-engage with us while remaining outside the Union, because you cannot pick and choose the freedoms the Union provides...
You cannot decide to take what suits you and leave the rest.” The press conference was preceded by sharper remarks from the French president during a meeting with students at Madrid’s Complutense University on Tuesday evening, as part of his official visit to Spain. He described Brexit as “the biggest lie of the past 30 years” and called Britain’s departure from the European Union “a disastrous exception”.
Macron criticised the promises made during the campaign to leave the bloc, saying: “Those who said: We will become richer — after 10 years, gross domestic product has fallen by eight points. They said: We will solve the migration problem, but it has become more complicated than before. They said: We will achieve huge success in international trade, but the situation has become worse”.
Burnham sets out options for relations with Europe
Macron’s remarks coincided with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announcing that he intended to present a range of options for the United Kingdom’s long-term relationship with the European Union. The options include Britain remaining outside the bloc, strengthening cooperation through a customs union or the single market, and the possibility of “going all the way” and returning to EU membership.
In an interview with BBC Radio on Wednesday, Burnham said Britain could “go all the way”, referring to the possibility of reconsidering its EU membership. He confirmed that the government would examine the available options, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each, before determining the future course of its relationship with the bloc.
London and Brussels reset their relationship
Since then, London and Brussels have been working to reset their relationship through new agreements and arrangements covering trade, energy, migration and mobility.
Britain and the European Union are preparing for a summit expected to be held in November, aimed at discussing further areas of cooperation between the two sides, alongside renewed British debate over the options available for its long-term relationship with the European bloc.
