March 29, 2024
2 mins read

Mandelson dismisses prospect of UK rejoining EU

The EU wanted a more “stable, constructive relationship” with the UK, Mandelson continued, but there was no desire in Brussels for wholesale negotiation of the country’s return…reports Asian Lite News

Peter Mandelson has dismissed the prospect of an incoming Labour government taking Britain back into the EU, saying “you’ve got to be joking” that Brussels would want to renegotiate the UK’s membership.

The Labour peer, a former EU trade commissioner and close adviser to Keir Starmer, said rejoining the 27-country bloc would require a referendum that UK voters had little desire for, after the Conservatives’ botched handling of Brexit.

“I cannot see the British people running towards [a referendum] for love nor money after what we went through during the last one. I really do not think that people are going to run towards a repeat of that experience,” he told a British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) event at Heathrow airport on Wednesday.

Lord Mandelson, speaking at the launch of the lobby group’s report on building “Global Britain” after the general election, added that a Starmer government would build closer ties with the EU without rejoining.

The EU wanted a more “stable, constructive relationship” with the UK, Mandelson continued, but there was no desire in Brussels for wholesale negotiation of the country’s return.

“Reopen a negotiation? You’ve got to be joking,” he said. “They [the EU] have got other priorities. They have other fish to fry now. And they’re not going to go through the back-and-forth, up-and-down, seesaw motion; or another protracted, probably hard fought over, and indecisive negotiation with Britain. So that’s simply answered.”

His comments come after the BCC called for politicians to “step out of Brexit’s long shadow” and prioritise trade, including through closer ties with the UK’s single largest trading partner.

Martha Lane Fox, the tech entrepreneur and president of the BCC, said there was often a reluctance among politicians to either recognise problems or suggest solutions because of how they may be viewed either side of the Brexit divide.

“This must stop. Our politicians must be bolder in their decision making. They must set out a strategy on how we manage EU regulation and, where it makes sense, to diverge so that British business can benefit,” she said.

Mandelson said Brexit had triggered a “rollercoaster ride of instability, a merry-go-round of changing ministers” that had left the British economy “travelling along with one arm behind our backs”.

Speaking to business leaders in the headquarters of the company responsible for operating Heathrow, overlooking the airport’s northern runway, the former business secretary under Tony Blair said Labour would not follow the Conservatives’ post-Brexit strategy of chasing free trade deals around the world.

However, he said there was a danger that Britain could become “stranded” between a possible Donald Trump administration in the US and weaker post-Brexit relationship with Brussels.

“There is a danger that we become stranded, or that we become collateral damage in what could become quite an escalating tension,” he said.

ALSO READ-Pieterson slams Sadiq Khan over train stabbing incident

Previous Story

UAE’s humanitarian march continues

Next Story

UN rights panel urges govt to drop Rwanda plan  

Latest from -Top News

Trump Warns Musk: ‘Close Shop or Go Home’

Trump’s warning on his Truth Social platform late on Tuesday (US time) came amid the feud between him and Musk over the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’….reports Asian Lite News Former US President

India-US Trade Deal Likely This Week

The interim trade deal would be an initial step towards a comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement between Indian and the US….reports Asian Lite News India is expected to finalise an interim trade

One Year Later, Hasina’s Son Raises Red Flag

Hasina’s abrupt exit last August after violent student protests was widely seen as a blow to democracy in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million….reports Asian Lite News Sajeeb Wazed, son of former

Global South Finds Its Campus in India

The question is no longer if India can attract global talent, but whether it can build the conditions to do so at scale—with care and vision. Done right, India could emerge as

Jaishankar Gets Real on India-US Ties

The EAM underlined the structural drivers of the bilateral relationship, saying, “The trend line over the last 25 years has actually been very strong….reports Asian Lite News External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
Go toTop