When UK Labour Regains Power, Should It Reverse Brexit?

[Frodo]

There is a lot of buyers' remorse going around among those who originally voted to leave the EU.... 

Poll of polls show Brits have officially turned against Brexit
The average annual gap between those who believe it was “wrong” to vote to Leave compared to “right” is almost double what it was last year.

[Torie]

Can the UK be in the EU while restricting immigration from other EU countries? If so, and in the next 2 years the UK's growth rate lags that of the major EU countries (that seems to be the post Brexit track record to date), I would think it almost inevitable perhaps. A common market with the US to replace the EU just didn't happen it seems.

[Antonio the Sixth]

We don't want the UK back.

[2952-0-0]

When the UK was in the EU, it secured a huge range of opt-outs, while enjoying all the benefits of the single market, and actively resisted initiatives to further federalize the union. Then, the UK's entire political establishment fall into disarray after 2016, and was in complete denial about its negotiating position. The consensus in Brussels when Brexit finally happened was that "whew, we've finally gotten rid of that prick, now let's get on with our real business".

So, a hypothetical Brejoin/Brentry will be far more difficult than just writing a contrite letter to Brussels. Brussels will demand that this time, the UK will not enjoy the opt-outs it had last time, definitely including the rebate and the single currency, though the Schengen Area could remain as an exemption due to geography. But that, in turn, will require the entire British political establishment to accept this new settlement, including the Tory Party, which has been at war with itself over Europe for the entirety of the UK's membership of the EEC.

If Brejoin/Brentry happens, it will be under a Tory government that doesn't fall into disarray.

[Cassius]

Aside from the above points, it'll probably be (at least) a decade before we could feasibly re-join, by which time the UK's import-export structure and regulatory system will likely have changed quite considerably due to the new relationship with the EU (as they did after joining the EEC in 1973). Opponents of re-joining could quite validly point to the disruption that re-entering the common market and the customs area after a long period outside could cause.

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

The EU isn't taking the UK back after the s*** they have already pulled.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It was an error to leave but this does not mean that it would be a good idea to go back in. What would make sense is further alignment with the bloc; economically beneficial all around and would not cause political difficulties, at least not for a Labour government. The present state of affairs benefits precisely no one.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

When the UK was in the EU, it secured a huge range of opt-outs, while enjoying all the benefits of the single market, and actively resisted initiatives to further federalize the union.

It was a little more complicated than that: the Single Market was actually Mrs Thatcher's idea. And as that fact demonstrates, the big problem was always a fundamental lack of consistency.

[Frodo]

It was an error to leave but this does not mean that it would be a good idea to go back in. What would make sense is further alignment with the bloc; economically beneficial all around and would not cause political difficulties, at least not for a Labour government. The present state of affairs benefits precisely no one.

So you're saying the UK's best course of action is to negotiate similar (though perhaps not identical) terms that Switzerland currently enjoys with the European Union?

[Cassius]

When the UK was in the EU, it secured a huge range of opt-outs, while enjoying all the benefits of the single market, and actively resisted initiatives to further federalize the union.

It was a little more complicated than that: the Single Market was actually Mrs Thatcher's idea. And as that fact demonstrates, the big problem was always a fundamental lack of consistency.

I'm not sure that's strictly true, I think it's more the case that Mrs T's ideas changed, on the basis of experience (and Delors) once she got into her third term (and got closer to Powell's views on the relationship between the UK and the EU, albeit from quite a different direction).

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

It was an error to leave but this does not mean that it would be a good idea to go back in. What would make sense is further alignment with the bloc; economically beneficial all around and would not cause political difficulties, at least not for a Labour government. The present state of affairs benefits precisely no one.

So you're saying the UK's best course of action is to negotiate similar (though perhaps not identical) terms that Switzerland currently enjoys with the European Union?

The Iceland/Norway arrangements are saner than Switzerland’s mess of treaties.

[CityofSinners]

The only viable path for Labour is to seek closer alignment with the EU but not re-joining. Longterm I expect something like the Norway deal for the UK.

The Switzerland model of a lot of treaties is not an plausible option. The EU is currently letting those treaties expiring to force switzerland into a framework agreement that would make the swiss follow the EU rules more closely.

[CumbrianLefty]

You know what Keynes said about the long term, of course.

I do think that the UK will join something called the European Union eventually - but it might be very much a different animal from now.

[EastAnglianLefty]

A better trading relationship with Europe would be beneficial to the UK's long-term growth, but when the next government comes in it will face a lot of immediate social and political challenges. Embarking on something divisive and time-consuming is unlikely to be an immediate priority.

I suspect you'll have a lot of quiet alignment on areas currently causing friction, but anything people actually notice will be the definition of a third-term issue.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I all seriousness, yeah, I think long-term the UK will gravitate back toward something like the Norwegian model (which, it must be said again, is a far worse deal than the UK enjoyed while in the EU!). But yeah, I doubt Starmer will make it a priority of his PMship. Corbyn was wrong about a great many things, but he was fundamentally right that Labour is much better off not touching the issue for the foreseeable future, and it's a tragedy that the rest of his party refused to listen.

[Lechasseur]

I think in the medium future, going for a Norway type arrangement with the EU is what Labour should be aiming for.

I don't think the current situation between Britain and the EU is tenable, but I don't think that rejoining the EU outright can really be on the table until a clear majority if the country want back in and the EU is reassured that Brexit won't happen again.

[afleitch]

It was an error to leave but this does not mean that it would be a good idea to go back in. What would make sense is further alignment with the bloc; economically beneficial all around and would not cause political difficulties, at least not for a Labour government. The present state of affairs benefits precisely no one.

This.

Business want it and when business is happy with it, there's nothing much the Tories can do about it.

Labour did this with a whole raft of legislation in 1997-2001 when we were still in the EU to align ourselves with the market (including the minimum wage.)

[parochial boy]

I think they should try. Because otherwise we run the risk that a competently run UK run by non-extremists would cease to be the basket case we have come to know and love.