Britain invited to rejoin the EU 10 years after Brexit referendum | Politics | News
The UK has been officially invited to rejoin the EU by the European Green Party. The party, which unites Green parties from across the bloc, issued the invitation as the 10th anniversary of the Brexit vote approaches and the embattled Sir Keir Starmer pushes for a closer relationship with Brussels.
Vula Tsetsi, co-chair of the European Green Party, said: “On the eve of Europe Day, we European Greens are clear: the European Union must expand and its doors must reopen for the UK. If the people of the UK choose this path in the future, we are ready to welcome them back. Ten years after Brexit, it is increasingly clear that Brexit has weakened both the UK and the EU.”
“Any political process must start with a political signal, and today the European Greens are the first European political family to say publicly that our door is open to the UK’s future return to the EU. We are now calling on other European political families to follow them.”
The Green Party has promised ahead of the 2024 elections that its MPs will work to “rejoin the EU as soon as the domestic political situation is positive and EU member states are willing”.
He also said he supported “joining the customs union as a first step towards full membership of the EU and as a way of solving many of the worst problems arising from Brexit”.
Former Conservative MP David Campbell Bannerman, who also serves as deputy leader of UKIP, said: “The Greens have clearly abandoned their commitment to respecting democracy. The biggest vote of any direction was given 10 years ago by British people to leave the EU.”
The European Green Party also supports EU expansion “from the Western Balkans and Ukraine to any European country that chooses a common democratic future within the European Union.” He wants the EU to leave the age of oil and gas behind and focus on renewable energy.
Ciarán Cuffe, who also co-chairs the European Green Party, said: “Europe’s dependence on oil and gas leaves it weak, vulnerable and defenseless. If we are serious about peace, security and independence, we must get rid of fossil fuels and move entirely towards renewable energy.”
“Wind and solar are not only climate solutions, they are also the foundation of a stronger, independent and ultimately free Europe. Investing in renewable energy sources will protect us from price increases due to fossil fuels.”
