France’s finance minister invited Britain to “come back, anytime,” after UK prime minister Andy Burnham said a future Labour manifesto could keep a second Brexit referendum on the table and raised concerns about the EU’s “Made In Europe” rules.
French finance minister Roland Lescure told the BBC Britain could “come back, anytime,” while stressing any return to the EU would be a decision for the British people to make.
Lescure added that membership “comes with some difficulties, but it enables members to better address the challenges facing the world,” the BBC reported, and he restated that “British people decided, and that's obviously their 100% right, and if they're willing to come back, they will have to decide.”
The invitation followed comments from Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who last week said the UK needed to “consider the options,” the BBC reported. He listed possibilities ranging from keeping the status quo, to rejoining the customs union or single market, or “going all the way” back into the EU.
Burnham also warned the government must examine the EU’s planned industrial rules, the BBC reported. He said those proposals could damage British industry and supply chains: a concern he has raised directly with EU leaders.
The EU’s proposals under the European Commission’s Industrial Accelerator Act, dubbed the “Made In Europe” rules, are intended to shield European manufacturers from “unfair foreign competition,” Euronews reported. The measure would give companies inside the bloc a preference in public contracts and subsidies.
Burnham has argued those proposals could harm British industry and supply chains by privileging EU-based firms over non-EU suppliers, the BBC reported.
UK ministers, including Hamish Falconer, the UK’s minister for European relations, say excluding Britain from the scheme risks fracturing shared supply chains, Euronews reported. They warn it would “weaken” European industry.
The EU car industry has urged inclusion of the UK in the scheme to avoid disruption to its own supply chains, the BBC reported.
Lescure said that if Britain rejoined the EU it would “be at the table” to discuss such rules, the BBC reported. He did not suggest any return to membership was imminent, and he framed re-entry as a political decision for the UK electorate.
EU governments are split on how to define “European” for the scheme, Euronews reported. France is pushing a stricter approach while Germany is more open to extending rules of origin to partners that offer reciprocal access. Talks on UK inclusion have accelerated since Burnham took office in July, and an EU-UK summit is expected before the end of the year.
Burnham raised his concerns about the scheme directly with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the UN General Assembly in New York, Euronews reported.
UK and EU officials are discussing access to the Industrial Accelerator Act’s protections, and both sides say keeping supply chains open is in their shared interest, Euronews reported. Any change in membership or formal inclusion in the scheme would require political agreement and, ultimately, a decision by the British people, Lescure said.
This article was created with AI assistance.
