Rachel Reeves says UK’s future is in EU as she backs Andy Burnham on Brexit
Former chancellor Rachel Reeves has argued the UK's future should be inside the EU, stating Brexit has made the country 'poorer, weaker and less secure'.
Writing in the Sunday Times, the Labour former cabinet minister welcomed "Andy Burnham's leadership" after recent remarks by the prime minister fueled questions about Britain returning to the bloc or adopting its freedom of movement rules. Reeves was sacked as chancellor by Burnham when he took office.
Brexit impact
Although Reeves said she believed "Britain's future lies in the European Union", she stressed it was "incumbent on supporters of our re-entry to make the argument, demonstrate tangible benefits and to get the next steps right".
Brexit has made us poorer, weaker and less secure. There is a debate to be had about our future relationship with Europe, and I welcome Andy Burnham's leadership in facing up to this.
Government approach
Burnham wants to lock in deals on food and drink, emissions trading and a youth mobility scheme at a summit with the bloc next month. He told ministers that the period beyond that would be to "explore options" for the long-term relationship.
The prime minister warned individual ministers it would not be appropriate "to advocate for specific options or opine on the likely outcome" of any process to renegotiate Britain's relationship with the EU, stating any "fundamental change" would be for the public to decide.
Security cooperation
Reeves said she hoped the forthcoming UK-EU summit would confirm the youth mobility scheme and make progress towards entry into the Security Action for Europe (Safe) scheme. Safe is part of an EU-wide effort to rearm after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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