As Sir Keir Starmer fights for survival, and possible Labour leadership candidates attempt to set out their policy positions, it seems that a debate over the European Union is back on the table.
In his first pitch to voters as a backbench MP, Wes Streeting – who has confirmed plans to stand in any leadership race – said Britain must pursue a “new special relationship” with the European Union and signalled he wanted to see the country rejoin the trade bloc in the future.
Meanwhile, Andy Burnham has said he sees a “long-term case” for rejoining the bloc – but insisted he wouldn’t be reopening the debate immediately.
But how exactly would Britain rejoin the EU? Here, The Independent takes a look at the process for doing so, and how easy (or difficult) it would be to get the public on side.
Where do UK-EU relations currently stand?
Sir Keir Starmer entered office on a promise to “reset” relations with the EU and rebuild ties with the bloc following years of tense relations under successive Tory governments. This has been broadly successful, with EU-UK relations at a much stronger point than they were previously.
In 2025, the prime minister signed a wide-ranging deal with the bloc which the PM said would deliver cheaper food and energy to the UK, and Britain has also rejoined the EU’s Horizon science programme – which was initially agreed under the last government – and has agreed to join the Erasmus+ programme for educational exchanges from next year.
Sir Keir has gone even further on his plans to reset relations since the local elections which delivered a brutal result for Labour, promising his government would “put Britain at the heart of Europe”. However, sticking points on talks with the EU remain.
For example, tense negotiations are still ongoing over plans for a youth mobility scheme, which could allow limited freedom of movement for young British people to live and work in the EU (and vice versa).
Meanwhile, plans for UK integration into the EU electricity market have stalled as a result of Britain’s refusal to pay into EU “cohesion funds” in exchange.
The primary reason for the ongoing sticking points is Sir Keir’s “red lines” – which include no return to the customs union, no return to the single market, and no return to freedom of movement.
The EU has so far been clear that the closer the UK is to get to the EU, the more it must adopt EU rules and regulations – some of which would go against the government’s red lines, and have sparked criticism from Reform UK and the Tories, who claim ministers are attempting to unpick Brexit.
Would the EU let the UK return?
The European Union has always been clear that the UK would be allowed to rejoin the bloc should it want to, with Ursula Von Der Leyen in 2023 saying the UK is on a clear “direction of travel” toward rejoining the EU. She said she had told her children that it was up to the next generation to “fix” the mistake of Brexit.
However, it is unlikely that the UK would be allowed to rejoin the bloc on the same terms it had before. The UK is likely to have to join the Euro if it wanted to return, and it would be unlikely to get the rebate it negotiated previously.
The UK rebate was a financial mechanism negotiated by Margaret Thatcher in 1984, reducing Britain’s EU budget contribution by around 66 per cent.
Would the public support rejoining the EU?
There would need to be a referendum before any formal process of rejoining the EU, but generally polling shows that the British public overall backs a return to the bloc.
YouGov polling conducted last month indicated that 63 per cent of the British public want closer ties with the EU, and 55 per cent want to rejoin.
However, if it became clear that Britain would be forced to accept a number of terms that they did not have before leaving the bloc, this support is likely to drop significantly – especially as Reform UK would attempt to capitalise on any compromises made during the process of rejoining.
