French finance minister invites UK to “come back” to EU as Labour explores options

Pro-Europe campaigners near parliament.A senior French minister has said the UK can “come back anytime” amid speculation Labour could pledge to reverse Brexit in its next election manifesto.Andy Burnham has said that rejoining the EU is “an option” as he seeks closer ties with Brussels.The prime minister has previously said he would like to see the UK go back into the bloc in his lifetime.A summit is due to be held later in the year to thrash out what the UK and EU’s relationship should be like in the future.In an interview with the BBC, French finance minister Roland Lescure said: “British people decided [to leave the EU], and that’s obviously their 100% right, and if they’re willing to come back, they will have to decide.”He added: “But what I can tell them is: come back, anytime.”Burnham has expressed concerns about how the EU’s new “Made In Europe” scheme, which would give EU companies priority for public contracts and subsidies, could affect the British economy.Asked about Britain being kept out of the scheme, Lescure said: “Come back, and you’ll be at the table, and we discuss all these things together.”Speaking to the BBC last week, Burnham said he was exploring all options about the UK’s future relationship with the EU.He said: “We could stay as we are. That’s definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay.“We could look at what [former Tory chancellor] George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market, or we could go all the way.”French president Emmanuel Macron and Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the PM’s comments.At a joint-press conference, Macron said in English “welcome back”, adding: “If the British want to come back and if the prime minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news both for his country and for Europeans.”Naomi Smith, chief executive of Best for Britain, which campaigns for the UK to rejoin the EU, said: “These repeated invitations from our French allies prove the claim they would not welcome the UK back is nothing more than a defeatist trope.“Whether President Macron last week, or the French finance minister this, our close neighbours have always been clear that they would open their arms to us joining the fold once more, accepting the rights and obligations of EU membership.“Andy Burnham is right to say this option remains on the table, particularly given the almighty £92bn boost to GDP it brings, an economic shot in the arm his chancellor would surely welcome to genuinely deliver growth in every postcode.” Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...'An Unmitigated Disaster': Piers Morgan Slams Brexit And Says UK Would Vote To Rejoin EUTwo-Thirds Of Brits Believe Brexit Has Made Every Issue They Care About Worse, Survey FindsHas Brexit Made It Impossible To Be A Successful British Prime Minister?

Finance minister, Roland Lescure, welcomes Burnham’s pledge to explore closer ties with blocThe French finance minister has invited the UK to “come all the way back” to the European Union after Andy Burnham raised the prospect of a new referendum to reverse Brexit.Roland Lescure was speaking after the prime minister used his Labour conference speech to pledge that the government would explore closer ties with the bloc at a summit later this year. Continue reading...

Finance minister Roland Lescure hailed Andy Burnham opening the door to a bid to rejoin the bloc.

Finance minister Roland Lescure hailed Andy Burnham opening the door to a bid to rejoin the bloc.