A senior French minister has reignited the Brexit row by declaring Britain would be welcomed back into the European Union and backing Andy Burnham to become the country’s next Prime Minister.
Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s Foreign Minister, said Paris would be “absolutely ready” to reopen the door to Britain returning to the bloc, despite the UK’s decision to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum, when 17.4 million people voted for Brexit.
The extraordinary intervention came as Mr Barrot also voiced his support for Labour leadership frontrunner Andy Burnham, expressing hope that the Greater Manchester Mayor succeeds in his bid to enter Downing Street.
Speaking to France 5 television, Mr Barrot said: “I hope, at any rate, that he does indeed manage to secure the post he’s aiming for.
He added that he hoped Britain would enjoy “as much stability as possible”, while arguing that Brexit continued to have consequences for the UK.
The French minister went further by claiming Brexit had “failed to deliver any of its promises” and insisting Britain had become weaker outside the European Union.
He also floated what he described as a “Breturn” to the bloc.
As for us, we’re absolutely ready to open the door to the United Kingdom for a return to the European Union, which, it’s true, comes with rights but also duties,” he said.
“Negotiations have already begun between the UK and the European Union to re-establish ties.”
His comments are likely to fuel fresh debate over Britain’s future relationship with Brussels following Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to step down as Labour leader.
Mr Burnham has previously expressed support for closer ties with Europe but has repeatedly ruled out seeking to reverse Brexit.
During his leadership campaign, he said he was “not proposing that the UK considers rejoining the EU” and insisted he respected the outcome of the 2016 referendum.
The intervention from Paris comes despite France recording broadly similar economic growth to Britain since Brexit, even while remaining one of the EU’s largest economies.
Mr Barrot’s remarks also follow growing cooperation between London and Brussels on issues including defence, trade and migration.
An EU-UK summit originally scheduled for July 22 was postponed after Sir Keir announced his resignation.
Talks are expected to cover food standards, emissions trading and a possible youth mobility scheme once they are rescheduled.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also praised Sir Keir’s efforts to improve relations between Britain and the European Union during his time in office.
Mr Macron thanked the outgoing Prime Minister for helping strengthen Franco-British relations and argued that Brexit had persuaded many French Eurosceptics to abandon calls for a so-called “Frexit”.
The calls for Britain to return to the European Union are not confined to the French government.
Gabriel Attal, the former French prime minister and a leading contender to succeed Mr Macron, has also publicly said he hopes Britain will one day rejoin the bloc.
Writing in Le Figaro, Mr Attal said: “I have one wish: that my generation might see the United Kingdom rejoin the European Union.
He argued that Britain’s return would strengthen both France and the EU, adding that Europe should begin creating the conditions that could make re-accession possible.
Whether such a prospect would find support among British voters remains an open political question, but the comments from two of France’s most senior politicians have once again thrust the Brexit debate back into the spotlight.
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