Christmas Comes Early for Rejoiners as Labour Moves To Roll Back Brexit

Not content with reopening Britain to an unlimited number of European students at the cost of the British taxpayer, senior Labour figures are now pushing to draw the UK back into the EU’s customs union.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has long ruled out rejoining the trade bloc, despite initially arguing that the UK shouldn’t leave it at all—not to mention his wider opposition to Brexit and his early desire for a second referendum.

But now, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has suggested that rejoining the—or, at least, a—customs union is an essential step for fixing the broken economy. His intervention carries weight amid growing speculation that he could one day replace Starmer as prime minister—or is already positioning himself to do so.

After an interview with Streeting in The Observer, The Guardian said his remarks “appeared to leave the door open to the idea of a customs union.” While the health secretary ruled out any return to freedom of movement, critics argue that Labour’s proposed “youth mobility scheme” would effectively recreate it by other means.

Responding to Streeting’s comments, Tory MP Matt Vickers jibed that “Labour MPs always want to ignore the views of the British people.”

Wes Streeting says he wants to see Brexit undone in a pitch to left-wing Labour members. Labour need to stop blaming Brexit for their total incompetence.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy also sparked speculation about the UK potentially rejoining the EU customs union after repeatedly refusing to rule out the idea in an interview earlier this month.

The government has also insisted it will not return to the EU single market, though questions remain over how firm that position is.