Reeves says the UK's future lies inside the EU

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, in her first programmatic article since leaving the government, has said that Britain should be in the European Union, and that Brexit made the country 'poorer, weaker and less secure'. Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks of the need for an honest discussion of relations with the EU, but insists on a mandate at an election.

Aziz KarimovFirst published on tafs uz 1 November 2026 at 08:163 min read

The key facts

Rachel Reeves said that Britain's future is in the EU and called Brexit the reason the country became 'poorer, weaker and less secure'
She hopes for a youth mobility scheme at the upcoming UK–EU summit and progress on the SAFE programme
Labour's 2024 manifesto ruled out free movement, the single market and the customs union; Burnham ties any changes to a mandate at an election by 2029

Reeves' statement after leaving the Treasury

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has said that the United Kingdom's future should be inside the European Union, and that Brexit made the country 'poorer, weaker and less secure'. This is her first major public appearance since leaving the Treasury; in an article for the Sunday Times she wrote: 'No one in the Treasury ever doubted where my convictions lay. I truly believe that Britain's future is in the European Union.' According to her, supporters of returning to the EU need to 'build the argument, demonstrate tangible benefits and get the next steps right' (this was reported by BBC News).

What Reeves expects from the summit with the EU

Reeves hopes that at the upcoming UK–EU summit, the youth mobility schemewill be confirmed, which she championed while still in office. She also expects 'progress towards participation' in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme — an EU rearmament initiative announced in March last year after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The defence pact concluded with the EU in May opened access to SAFE-funded projects for British defence companies.

Divergence from the party's previous position

The statement markedly diverges from Labour's manifesto at the last election, which promised to stay outside the EU and 'make Brexit work', ruling out the return of free movement, membership of the single market and the customs union. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, according to the BBC, says there needs to be an honest discussion about what the future relationship with the EU should look like, and suggested that a referendum on Brexit could feature in the manifesto of the party at an election, but stresses that any changes require a mandate at a general election, which is once again due by 2029. Notably, a few days before Reeves' article, Downing Street, according to a BBC report, effectively backed away from the Prime Minister's proposal for a referendum on free movement, while officials from the UK and the EU were preparing to discuss the topic.

Reaction from opponents

The Conservatives said there is no desire to relive the Brexit debates, and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said no mandate for closer ties with the EU exists. In the same article, Reeves also defended her own track record: she wrote about the need for governments to be 'bolder' in building major infrastructure projects and to take a 'clear-eyed' view of the risks and benefits that artificial intelligence will bring to developed economies.