It’s “time to talk about rejoining” the European Union (EU), former top civil servant Sir Philip Rycroft, who led the UK’s preparations for exiting the trading bloc, has said.
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In a highly significant intervention, Sir Philip, former permanent secretary at the Department for Exiting the European Union, has backed Best for Britain’s new report which identified that political parties which advocate for the UK’s membership of the EU would galvanise their support among progressive voters.
The study, which is also endorsed by former Labour Party leader Lord Kinnock, also found that, according to YouGov polling, a majority of Brits (53%) support the UK rejoining the EU, which just a third (32%) opposed.
Writing exclusively in the Times, Sir Philip, argues: “It’s not hard to see why we might be falling out of love with Brexit. None of the heady promises of the various Leave campaigns have quite landed.”
He highlights the economic damage to the UK as a result of walking away, and stresses: “No one can credibly claim that we have marched to the sunny uplands of sustained economic growth as a consequence of Brexit.”
Sir Philip also makes a powerful case for the UK’s defence security interests also lying with our neighbours and allies in Europe. He states: “The post-war certainties that underpinned our security as a nation are visibly crumbling.
“With a hot war on the European mainland perpetrated by a revanchist Russia and an increasingly disengaged America, it is beyond peradventure that we must look to solidarity with our friends and neighbours in Europe to secure our defences.”
Citing Best for Britain’s new research, Sir Philip turns to the future, emphasising the “eminent logic in the turn of opinion toward rejoining the EU” and asking: “Is it time, then, for the Labour government to drop its caution and adopt a more bullish pro-EU position?
“With a majority of left-leaning voters in favour, the political advantage is clear, not least as one means of stemming the hemorrhaging of votes to the more unambiguously pro-EU Greens and Liberal Democrats.”
And Sir Philip concludes that while “this must be patient work… founded on a clear-headed appraisal of what is in the country’s best interests”, when it comes to the question of the UK’s place in Europe, “the argument is there to be won” and “it is time to talk about rejoining”.