A Treasury minister has triggered a fresh political row after suggesting that Britain rejoining the European Union is “an inevitability”, prompting accusations that Labour is quietly steering the country back towards Brussels.
Lord Livermore told the House of Lords that it was his “personal view” that the UK would eventually re-enter the 27-member bloc, arguing that Brexit had inflicted lasting economic damage on growth.
His remarks immediately prompted criticism from Brexit supporters, who accused the Government of undermining its own stated commitment to keeping Britain outside the EU, the single market and the customs union.
Lord Livermore said estimates suggested Brexit had cost the UK between 4 and 8 per cent of GDP, adding that ministers were now attempting only to “mitigate at the margins” what he described as its wider economic impact.
He told peers: “Should we, in due course, re-enter the EU? Well, of course, my personal view is that that is an inevitability. Of course, the UK will at one point re-enter the EU because it’s absolutely in our national economic interest.”
The comments are likely to reignite tensions over Labour’s long-term intentions on Europe, particularly as the Government pursues what it describes as a “reset” of relations with Brussels.
Lord Livermore also dismissed suggestions that Brexit had delivered meaningful economic benefits, describing such claims as “absolutely absurd”.
But Conservative peer Lord Mackinlay pushed back strongly, accusing ministers of benefiting from post-Brexit freedoms while simultaneously criticising the referendum result.
He argued that the UK was currently able to set its own tariffs, deploy subsidies and pursue industrial policy measures such as the potential nationalisation of steel, which he said demonstrated the advantages of regulatory independence.
The exchange comes as ministers are overseeing a consultation on suspending tariffs on a range of agricultural imports, including fruit, pasta, couscous and tuna, in response to global supply pressures linked to conflict in the Middle East.
Separately, legislation to bring parts of the steel industry under state control is progressing through Parliament, underscoring a more interventionist economic approach from the Government.
Former Brexit minister Lord Frost accused Labour of lacking clarity over its European strategy, suggesting the comments exposed a wider assumption within Government circles that closer alignment with the EU is inevitable.
He warned that voters could not rely on Labour’s 2024 manifesto commitments, which pledged to keep Britain outside the EU structures.
He wrote on X: “Treasury Minister Lord Livermore told us today that he thought it an ‘inevitability’ that Britain would rejoin the EU.
“In other words, Labour won’t stop now. Everything they do is based on the assumption of rejoining. One thing will lead to another. You can’t believe their manifesto and you can’t trust Labour on the EU.”
The remarks are likely to fuel Conservative claims that the Government is gradually edging towards deeper integration with the EU, despite repeated assurances that Brexit will not be reversed.
Downing Street has not commented on Lord Livermore’s intervention.
However, the episode is expected to intensify scrutiny of Labour’s long-term European policy at a time when ministers are already navigating sensitive negotiations on trade, regulation and defence cooperation with Brussels.
As the political arguments over Brexit continue to resurface, the latest exchange underscores how far from settled the debate remains — both in Parliament and within Government itself.
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