UK should make EU membership ‘medium-term’ goal, says think tank

Britain should make EU membership its goal when Andy Burnham sets out the country’s options for its relationship with the bloc, an influential think tank has said.

The Prime Minister has said he will set out the possibilities for Britain’s long-term relationship with Europe at the UK-EU summit in Brussels on November 20, with rejoining the bloc likely to be one of the options.

In a report published on Monday, think tank IPPR said the changes in global politics of the past decade mean the UK should make becoming an EU state its “medium-term” goal.

Harry Quilter-Pinner, IPPR’s executive director, said: “The world Britain built its post-Brexit strategy for no longer exists.

“We are entering an age in which economic strength, security and political influence increasingly depend on scale, and Britain cannot manufacture that scale on its own.”

The report argued that Britain lacks the “scale” to deal with “Russian aggression, American unreliability and Chinese coercion” on its own, restricting the UK’s sovereignty and its ability to act.

The Government has so far been reluctant to choose between the US and Europe, insisting it can maintain strong partnerships with both.

But the IPPR report argued that such “hedging” was “a strategy for survival rather than success”.

IPPR associate director Laura Chappell said: “Whether it’s protecting households from swings in the cost of living, restarting industry, or keeping us secure, we lack the weight to act alone.

“In today’s world, we can’t take back control while being an outsider in Europe.”

But the think tank conceded that the Government would need to take time to build a case for membership, suggesting working with the EU on defence, manufacturing and democratic resilience as steps on the way to full membership.

Mr Quilter-Pinner said: “There is one option which is best for the UK’s relationship with Europe – membership of the EU.

“That does not mean announcing another referendum tomorrow. But this means starting work to move towards this destination, building political support at home and in Europe.”

Part of moving towards membership could include seeking inclusion in the EU’s “Made in Europe” scheme, which prioritises European firms for public contracts and subsidies.

So far, discussion has focused on including the UK’s car industry in the scheme, which the Government has said would be welcome, but is also likely to require alignment with EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, potentially putting net zero targets at risk.

But IPPR said a “more comprehensive – and less transactional – approach” was needed.

With the Brexit referendum now a decade in the past, IPPR said there was now a public appetite for EU membership.

Polling carried out for the think tank by Persuasion UK in June found 52% of people supported rejoining, while only 29% opposed.

Even among those Labour voters considering switching to Reform UK, some 54% supported joining the EU.

The think tank said old arguments about freedom of movement had lost “salience”, while claims of “betraying” the 2016 referendum also mattered less.

But it noted that concerns about contributions to the EU’s budget and replacing the pound with the euro could cause significant damage to support for membership.

A Government spokesman said: “The threadbare Brexit deal inherited by this government has weakened our ability to control illegal immigration, slowed growth and left businesses tangled in red tape.

“We are working on practical deals that pay off for British farmers and families and will support growth in every UK postcode, cutting back on paperwork and easing pressure on prices.”

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is to meet EU commissioner Magnus Brunner in London on Monday for talks on migration.

Ahead of the talks, Mr Brunner said the UK’s contribution to tackling illegal migration was “indispensable”.

Pointing to a significant drop in illegal migration, including across the Channel, he said: “Anyone looking at the EU’s migration record today will find a different picture from the one many remember. We have put our European house in order.”