EU’s von der Leyen urges youth to reverse Brexit
European Commission president says politicians ‘goofed
it up’ in 2016 and the next generation will ‘have to fix it.’ But both Tories
and Labour shun the idea.
BY JAMIL
ANDERLINI AND JON STONE
NOVEMBER
29, 2023 12:20 PM CET
https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-brexit-eu-chief-urges-youth-to-reverse/
The U.K. is
on a clear “direction of travel” toward rejoining the EU, the president of the
European Commission said — as she urged young people to reverse Britain’s
departure.
Ursula von
der Leyen said she had told her children that it was up to the next generation
to “fix” the mistake of Brexit.
Asked
during an interview at the POLITICO 28 awards in Brussels on Tuesday night
whether Britain could ever rejoin the EU, von der Leyen said: “I must say, I
keep telling my children: ‘You have to fix it. We goofed it up, you have to fix
it.’ So I think here too, the direction of travel — my personal opinion — is
clear.”
Von der
Leyen described the Windsor Agreement on Northern Ireland, struck between
Brussels and London earlier this year, as “a new beginning for old friends.”
But her
comments on young people sparked a swift reaction in London, with a
spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak disagreeing that Brexit needs to be
“fixed.”
The
spokesperson said Britain has “a prime minister who championed Brexit before it
was in his career interests to do so because he believes in it passionately.”
The notion
that young people are driving the U.K. towards the EU was also rejected, and
the spokesperson insisted Sunak is “focused on delivering the benefits of
Brexit.”
Polling
consistently shows a majority of voters in the U.K. would back rejoining the EU
if asked to do so at a referendum. The latest survey by Deltapoll published in
late November shows rejoining on 48 percent and staying out on 36 percent — a
12-point lead.
But
broaching the subject is considered toxic in Westminster and no major political
party with a chance of power is suggesting rejoining the bloc.
The
opposition Labour Party, which has a commanding lead according to POLITICO’s
Poll of Polls and is currently on course to form a majority government after
the next election, says it wants a closer relationship with Europe, but has
ruled out rejoining the single market or reintroducing free movement of people.
Responding
to von der Leyen’s comments, a spokesperson for Labour Leader Keir Starmer said
Wednesday lunchtime: “We’re not rejoining the single market or customs union.
We’re not returning to freedom of movement.
“Of course
we want a good working relationship with the European Union, we want to improve
some of the issues there are on subjects like trade, but no, we’re not
rejoining in any form.”
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