Calls to re-join the European Union will be debated by MPs on Monday following the success of a petition which won more than 133,000 signatures. The debate comes in the wake of opinion polls showing millions of Britons regret leaving the EU.
The petition was launched by Robert McMaster, a retired chartered accountant from Reading who considers Brexit a “complete disaster”. It calls for the UK to apply to rejoin the EU as a “full member as soon as possible”.
Mr McMaster, 65, said: “The longer we’re out the worse off the country is going to be.”
He said that before the last election Brexit seemed to be the subject “no one could touch” so he launched the petition to “try and break the silence”.
Mr McMaster is not surprised at its success. He argues that Britain’s fishing community, farmers and people in the deprived areas have been “adversely affected”. YouGov polling earlier this year found just three in ten Britons thought it was right for the UK to vote to leave, with 55% saying it was wrong.
He is convinced an army of people would campaign for re-entry if given the opportunity.
But former Conservative security minister Sir John Hayes insisted Britain is better off out of the EU’s “awful project”.
He said: “There are people who can’t come to terms with the reality of the new world. The EU is looking increasingly redundant in a world in which clearly the challenges and threats have altered and in which America is becoming increasingly assertive…
“Frankly, if President Trump proceeds with his policy of tariffs the EU will be in a very sorry state.”
However, Liberal Democrat Europe spokesman James MacCleary said: “Trump’s return to the White House has given a new urgency to the need to rebuild our ties with Europe. That’s why we’ve called for a new UK-EU Customs Union by 2030 at the latest, which would deliver immediate benefits for the UK and also insulate us against Trump’s irrational pro-tariff policies which are already harming our growth.”
Setting out his hopes to “see this country back at the heart of Europe,” he said: “We must strengthen our economic and security ties with Europe, starting with a youth mobility scheme – which would be a clear win-win for the UK and EU. We also must negotiate a UK-EU defence pact, to ensure the UK can play a central role in collective decisions about continental security – including in Putin’s barbaric war in Ukraine.”
Labour MP Paul Davies, who will introduce the Westminster Hall debate, said: “I will be highlighting the arguments from both sides of the debate and the need for an engagement in open and honest discussions about the potential relationship with the EU as it is essential for shaping a prosperous and secure future for the United Kingdom.”
The petition states: “I believe joining the EU would boost the economy, increase global influence, improve collaboration and provide stability and freedom. I believe that Brexit hasn’t brought any tangible benefit and there is no future prospect of any, that the UK has changed its mind and that this should be recognised.”
The Government stated in response to the petition: “The Government was elected on a manifesto that made clear there will be no return to EU membership. However, we are determined to reset the UK-EU relationship, putting it on a more solid footing.”