The European Union could fast-track Britain’s return to the bloc if it decided to rejoin, dispelling suggestions the UK would be pushed to the back of the queue if it tried to reverse Brexit.
The debate over Britain’s EU membership has been reignited after former health secretary Wes Streeting said the country should rejoin as part of his pitch to lead the Labour Party.
Sandro Gozi, the chair of the European delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Assembly, told The Independent that the European Union would see a request to rejoin from the UK as a “major victory for the European project”, insisting that there would be a way to fast-track it.
Brussels sources confirmed the UK’s potential re-accession could take place much more quickly than it would for other candidate countries, due to its significant pre-existing alignment with the bloc.
While it is thought that the EU would include joining the Euro as a key starting point of talks with the UK, multiple sources said this was unlikely to be a red line given the entry requirements for the Euro are so strict, and the UK currently doesn’t meet them.
Speaking about a possible reversal of Brexit, Mr Gozi said: “We wouldn’t see it as a victory for the EU over the UK – but as a victory for Europe as a whole.” He argued that increasing global turmoil has only increased desire within the EU to welcome Britain back.
Referencing a possible “fast-track” process of accession, he said: “It could be done more quickly than for other candidate countries because there is the institutional memory there from when the UK was a member. And there is also already some level of alignment between the UK and EU.”
Mr Gozi argued that a promise to rejoin the EU could be a good political tool for Labour in its battle against Reform UK, as a clear promise to return could diminish Nigel Farage’s appeal. It comes after YouGov polling conducted last month indicated that almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of the British public want closer ties with the EU, while 55 per cent want to rejoin.
But he also argued that Britain would need to accept the same terms as any other candidate country, saying the UK would need to give up its “obsession with carve-outs”. He insisted that this would include joining the Euro.
Not only did the UK previously not have to join the Euro when it was part of the EU, it also negotiated a rebate, reducing Britain’s EU budget contribution by around 66 per cent.
Mr Gozi’s comments will come as a blow to those keen for the UK to rejoin the EU, as significant compromises – especially joining the Euro – would no doubt spark intense criticism from the Tories and Reform UK.
However, one source said he thinks there would be some level of “wiggle room” in possible re-accession talks.
“The EU’s starting point will be that we should commit to joining the Euro in due course. But look at the fact that there are at least five member states who are not in the Euro and show no intention of joining. Denmark, Sweden, Poland and so on. The EU has already had to accept a two-tier position when it comes to Euro membership.”
Meanwhile, a former MEP with links to Brussels, pointed out: “You can’t just join the Euro. The entry criteria are very strict with four economic benchmarks, and the UK doesn’t currently meet them, and it’s a very long way from meeting the one on government debt.”
The first source also agreed with Mr Gozi that the process of rejoining could take place “quite quickly”, pointing to Finland, which took just three years to join because it had already been a member of the European Economic Area.
“The UK is still aligned with EU legislation and where it has diverged it is very clear where it has diverged. It’s very different than it would be dealing with somewhere like Albania,” they explained. “Both sides would need to vet existing Albanian legislation, get it translated and then go through it very carefully and see how its applied. In Britain, that’s very clear.”
However, a source close to the EU’s ambassador to the UK tempered hopes of Britain being fast-tracked, insisting that the bloc is focused on getting existing agreements with Britain over the line, including the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) deal on the trade of plants and food.
They dismissed speculation about Britain’s future in the union as “an internal issue”, adding: “We have nearly ten countries that want to join the EU that are candidate accession countries. This is the biggest amount of countries we’ve seen. And there has so far been no request from the UK to rejoin, so there is currently no discussion.”
The European Union has always been clear that the UK would be allowed to rejoin the bloc should it want to, with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in 2023 saying the UK was on a clear “direction of travel” toward rejoining. She said she had told her children that it was up to the next generation to “fix” the mistake of Brexit.
Speaking last week, Mr Streeting – who is expected to launch a leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer after quitting the government – described Britain’s 2016 decision to leave the European Union as “a catastrophic mistake”, arguing that the UK should seek to rejoin.
“We need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain’s future lies with Europe, and one day – one day – back in the European Union,” he said.
The Independent has contacted the Labour Party for comment.
