On 12 September, PM Andy Burnham addressed the House of Commons to claim that “it would be a major dereliction of duty” to turn away from UK-EU relations.
He argued that a “pragmatic approach” is required in preparation for the upcoming UK-EU summit in November.
The government’s current approach to the EU rejects the “threadbare Brexit deal” under the previous Conservative government, and instead highlights a focus on renegotiating better trading terms with the EU to “cut costs and red tape for British farmers and businesses, support industry and boost growth.”
While Burnham seems committed to honouring the outcome of the 2016 Brexit referendum, the government is justifying its actions through opinion polls, which suggest that the majority of Britons were disappointed by the outcome of Brexit.
The impact of the cost of living crisis and global market turmoil as a result of Trump’s war with Iran continues to shake the public’s trust in the government, despite the recent “Burnham bounce.” The government is therefore under pressure to prove to the public that they are taking measures to ease rising costs.
The Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander highlights how an increasingly “protectionist” and “regionalised” world makes the EU, our closest geographic partner, a more desirable “economic prize.”
Analysis by Goldman Sachs argues that a renewed trade deal with the EU could boost the UK’s economy by £30b in the event of a re-negotiated customs union, or by as much as £150b in the event of rejoining the single-market.
The government’s aim to increase defence spending and expand welfare requires significant boosts to the UK’s economy or tax rises, with the former option being most desirable in their aim of getting re-elected in the next general election.
Reactions to Burnham’s speech among European students at the university have been hopeful, with one student noting that frictionless UK-EU trade could “make it more affordable to travel back to Hungary” and “also make Hungarian food cheaper and more accessible [in the UK].”
Upon recognising the mutual benefits that the UK and EU would gain as a result of closer ties, the government will hope to maximise the economic benefits of a closer relationship with the EU without giving up too much sovereignty.
Image by Spencer Siles for The Student
