Deputy prime minister David Lammy has suggested that rejoining the European Union’s customs union could increase economic growth – as ministers increasingly hit out at the financial damage caused by Brexit. Mr Lammy refused seven times in an interview to rule out reversing Brexit, arguing that leaving the EU badly damaged the UK economy and saying Labour should consider closer integration with Brussels.

 

The OBR forecasts that leaving the EU will reduce long-run productivity in Britain by 4 per cent. Mr Lammy said that rejoining the customs union was not currently government policy, but that it was self-evident that other countries had seen growth after doing so. Health secretary Wes Streeting said on Wednesday that Labour should undo “the economic damage done by Brexit”.

 

Baroness Shafik, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s chief economics adviser, and some senior figures close to No 10 are also reportedly pushing for closer ties with the EU.

Ms Reeves said in October: “Things like austerity, the cuts to capital spending and Brexit have had a bigger impact on our economy than even was projected back then.

“That’s why we are unashamedly rebuilding our relations with the European Union to reduce some of those costs that were, in my view, needlessly added to businesses since 2016 and since we formally left a few years ago.”

 

Lammy says rejoining EU customs union could boost UK economy

8 minutes ago, bannork said:

rejoining the European Union’s customs union could increase economic growth

 

Yes it could  but  so could  stopping sending billions to Ukraine for 100 years ,using the north sea natural gas and oil  to boost what is left of the UK industry and provide cheap energy to all citizens and making trade deals with anyone willing to trade..yes EU is closest  but they seem hostile   so trade with other countries  there is no shortage of willing traders.

It's obvious, considering that the EU represents 41% of UK exports and 51% of imports. In particular, it would be a good news for SMEs.

1 hour ago, johng said:

 

Yes it could  but  so could  stopping sending billions to Ukraine for 100 years ,using the north sea natural gas and oil  to boost what is left of the UK industry and provide cheap energy to all citizens and making trade deals with anyone willing to trade..yes EU is closest  but they seem hostile   so trade with other countries  there is no shortage of willing traders.

So who are these willing traders and what's stopping them trading with the UK now? I thought the whole point of leaving the EU was to make such trading easier. What happened?

50 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

What happened?

 

Brain dead politicians. 

But is he, and the rest of Labour, brave enough to do it?

on the bright side, english politicians has come up with a cunning plan to phase out english breakfast for commoners by raising taxes on meat, for the climate

Two-thirds of 2024 Labour voters would rather Sir Keir Starmer abandon his Brexit red lines and join a customs union with the European Union than raise taxes on working people, new polling has revealed.

 

The Savanta poll showed that fewer than one in five (18 per cent) Labour voters would prefer the government to raise taxes and continue to stay outside the EU’s customs union. Some 67 per cent backed rejoining the customs union instead of raising taxes, the polling commissioned by the Liberal Democrats showed.

 

Overall, just over half (52 per cent) of UK adults said they would rather the government join a customs union with the EU than raise taxes. Just one in five (21 per cent) said the opposite.

 

Labour voters want PM to rejoin customs union instead of raising taxes

 

 

 

5 hours ago, johng said:

 

Brain dead politicians. 

If you're referring to Farage, I concur.

what ever that idiot Lammy thinks, the opposite will be true

7 hours ago, bannork said:

Things like austerity

otherwise known by normal people as living within ones means,  anything else is , to use their favorite phrase "unsustainable"   They can borrow as much as they want and print money till it comes out of their ears but the eventual day of reckoning can not be avoided forever,  The longer that takes to happen the worse things will become

4 hours ago, mordothailand said:

on the bright side, english politicians has come up with a cunning plan to phase out english breakfast for commoners by raising taxes on meat, for the climate

bacon will be banned along with all pig meat soon     out of respect for the religion of peace

On 12/5/2025 at 7:04 PM, Alan Zweibel said:

So who are these willing traders and what's stopping them trading with the UK now? I thought the whole point of leaving the EU was to make such trading easier. What happened?

They didn't think that far !

 

Quote

Yes it could  but  so could  stopping sending billions to Ukraine for 100 years ,using the north sea natural gas and oil  to boost what is left of the UK industry and provide cheap energy to all citizens and making trade deals with anyone willing to trade..yes EU is closest  but they seem hostile   so trade with other countries  there is no shortage of willing traders.

 

Spot the Russian plant. Straight to Ukraine. Doesn't think of anything else, kneejerk response to support the Communists.

On 12/5/2025 at 12:04 PM, Alan Zweibel said:

So who are these willing traders and what's stopping them trading with the UK now? I thought the whole point of leaving the EU was to make such trading easier. What happened?

bureaucracy, customs and health declarations  massive cost increases and new taxes has  stopped billions in trade  loss of companies and jobs ....Brexit is a  disaster 

Eventually the UK will rejoin the EU at worse terms that it had before.

 

 

41 minutes ago, Bannoi said:

Eventually the UK will rejoin the EU at worse terms that it had before.

 

 

Naturally, seeing we foolishly left. Still it will be a lot better than being outside the market.