Starmer promises to put the UK back ‘at the heart of Europe’: Majority of Bulletin readers back Britain rejoining the European Union

Prime Minister Keir Starmer today promised to put the UK back ‘at the heart of Europe’ in a much-anticipated speech to his Labour Party, in which he set out his government’s priorities following Labour’s crushing defeat in last Thursday’s regional and local elections.
Brexit, Starmer said, “made us poorer and weaker”, in one of his most pro-European speeches in recent memory, although he did not outline any concrete plans for this rapprochement with Europe following the country’s traumatic exit from the European Union in 2016.
The impact of Brexit on the British economy was profound, according to all economic analysts. A study by Stanford University, also reported by the Financial Times, claims that the UK lost between 6 and 8 per cent of its GDP because of Brexit.
“The last (Conservative) government was defined by severing our relationship with Europe. This Labour government will be defined by rebuilding that relationship with Europe, putting the UK at the heart of Europe,” he stated following one of the most critical weeks of his tenure.
“We have to talk about that,” argued an unusually energetic Starmer, “because we have to face up to the situation we are in: we have to offer this country a stronger economy, a stronger defence and a stronger network of relationships, given the world we live in. That is why I said ‘closer to Europe’, and this government will be defined by bringing Europe back.”
The Prime Minister used this pro-European speech to attack Nigel Farage, the populist leader whose Reform UK party was the big winner in Thursday’s election and who has always been known for his anti-European stance.
“Farage said that (with Brexit) we would be stronger and richer, that we would have plenty of money for the National Health Service and that immigration would fall. It all turned out to be a lie, and he has taken no responsibility for it,” he said, thereby acknowledging that Farage has become one of his most dangerous rivals, even more so than the Conservatives, whom he barely mentioned.
Since the UK left the European Union life for British expats has become increasingly complicated, challenging and costly - so much so some have left Mallorca and Spain. A YouGov survey last year revealed that majorities in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain would support the UK rejoining the European Union, but not on the same terms it previously enjoyed (e.g., opt-outs from the euro or Schengen area). The poll also indicated that a clear majority of British voters backed rejoining, but only if they can keep their opt-outs, creating a ‘public opinion impasse.’
The survey also found significant support in continental countries for an independent Scotland joining the EU. YouGov polling has long since shown that the public are ‘Bregretful’ about that outcome, with the latest survey showing 56% think it was wrong for Britain to vote to leave the EU. And a recent survey carried out by the Bulletin online has dissevered that nearly 66% of readers who took part in the survey agree that the UK rejoin the European Union.