Campaigners have welcomed Chancellor Rachel Reeves stating that "this government believes a deeper relationship is in the interest of the whole of Europe" as she signalled her intention for the UK to cooperate more closely with the EU.
Reeves comments came during her Mais lecture on the economy, at Bayes Business School in London, which saw her insist that no partnership is more important than that between the UK and our European neighbours.
She also argued that future UK prosperity will be built through partnerships, with those who share our interests, values and ambitions.
Naomi Smith, Chief Executive at Best for Britain, said:
“This is a welcome and overdue shift in tone: the Chancellor is right that the UK economy needs alignment with Europe to achieve growth, as independent analysis by Frontier Economics makes clear, and our polling confirms British voters overwhelmingly support, no matter their political persuasion.
“While alignment on food, drink and energy are excellent first steps, they barely move the growth needle, because the real boon for the UK and the EU, comes from deeper cooperation across the board: aligning all industrial and service sectors would claw back half of the GDP the OBR calculates the UK lost since Brexit.”